Hospitals and Food

Recently, Ed, foreign volunteer coordinator, and I accompanied Liuda and a major Hell's Kitchen donor on visits to some of the hospitals where we deliver cooked food and bread.

In Ukraine, hospitals (and schools) are generally known by a number. The first hospital we visited was Number 25 Hospital, a large emergency treatment hospital that receives our biggest delivery of food, usually about 240 meals and rolls per day. We had a frank and revealing discussion with a passionate and humorous young surgeon called Ivan, who, he said, was only pulled in to talk to us because he speaks good English! He explained that, because of the low level of government funding (as a result of the war effort), the hospital has to cut corners to ensure that patients' health and treatment comes first; hospital decor - and food - come second. We visited two wards where wounded soldiers were lying in beds, very close together - the wards were clean, but cramped and basic.

Each patient is allocated only 17 hryvnias per day for food, which works out to about 28p (GBP), 0.33 Euro or 38 cents (USD). This buys little more than a bowl of kasha (buckwheat porridge) per day, insufficient for a good physical recovery, which is why the food that Hell's Kitchen provides is so important. Ivan told us that half their medical equipment is donated - they take what other countries may scrap. He emphasised that no donation is too small; in his words, "if everybody gives a piece of string it makes a shirt." He told us that any money they save as a result of donations will be used for hospital renovations. 

As we were finishing our discussion our donor commented that we are fighting the same fight, which is a phrase often heard. Ivan disagreed, saying "Our fight is not yours," and that he is very grateful for all the help from abroad. He doesn't know what will happen when/if this support ceases after the war. The donor also suggested that Ivan could leave Ukraine, as others have done. Ivan's response was that he couldn't leave; this is his land and he 'will be taken out dead with a bullet!'

The next hospital was Number 5 Children's Hospital, which has 3 departments: neurology, psychiatry and rehabilitation, and a palliative care hospice. In contrast to the other hospitals, the children's hospital is brightly coloured and decorated; it has beautiful gardens and a play area. 

Natasha, a young, enthusiastic epidemiologist, showed us around the hospital. She described the new situation that the war has brought: many families from Kharkiv region have been evacuated and some have lost their homes to Russian bombs. So some parents need to stay in the hospital with their sick children. The 80 portions of food per day that they are allocates is not enough. Some families come from the "grey zone" - the 'no-man's land' between Ukrainian and Russian defensive lines, where movement is impossible without facing constant attack. The children from this area have lost a lot of body weight so the food we deliver is vital for their physical recovery.

Another consequence of the war is the need to build an underground bomb shelter, complete with beds and a kitchen.

Our final visit was to the Psychiatric and Neurological Institute, which also has 2 rehabilitation buildings. It treats many soldiers, as well as civilians, including people displaced by the war. The doctor who spoke to us said that the trauma of war can reawaken childhood and other trauma, and that they practice holistic therapy.

Shortly after our hospital visits, as a result of the Russian attack on the warehouse where Hell's Kitchen's flour is kept, we had to ration flour to make it last until next month's flour donation from World Central Kitchen. For about a week we did not make bread rolls for hospitals, although other people in need still received rolls and normal food deliveries continued. Having recently seen, first hand, the real need for food in the hospitals and the constant appreciation for our bread rolls, this was sad. But I'm happy to say that, at the beginning of this week, Liuda assessed that the remaining flour will last until the end of the month, and so we resumed making rolls for delivery to hospitals.

According to the UN (United Nations), civilian injuries and deaths increased by more than a third in Ukraine ⁠in the first half of the year. The UN documented 1,396 deaths and 7,978 injuries in ⁠the first six months of 2026, an increase of 37% from the same period last year and nearly ⁠double, compared to 2024. "Long-range ballistic missiles and drones, and short-range drones and glide bombs drove the escalation."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/22/ukraine-war-briefing-mykhailo-drapatyi-takes-over-as-kyivs-top-commander

June was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022, with at least 293 people killed. Russia launched one of its biggest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities on Sunday (19 July), which left at least six people dead and dozens injured. Later the same day, a Russian attack on a postal facility near Kharkiv killed three people and wounded at least 20.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/19/dozens-of-russian-missiles-pound-kyiv-ukraine-in-major-attack?CMP=share_btn_url

Kharkiv's Mayor, Ігор Терехов, wrote in 'Signal' that Russia attacked Kharkiv 24 times from 13 - 19 July. He said that more than half of all attacks were carried out with FPV (First Person View) drones, which is a concerning development. There is a growing tendency for gas (petrol) stations to be hit, as well as the usual residential buildings, commercial premises, infrastructure and roads. Last Friday an explosion occurred close to a car, killing the driver. The ring road to the north of the city is deemed to be too dangerous to travel on.

I had some rare good news, though, in relation to the war. In the last but one post I wrote about my favourite café in Sarzhin Yar (Саржин Яр) park in Kharkiv being badly bombed - recently it partially re-opened, albeit on a basic level.

Hell's Kitchen has its usual summer influx of foreign volunteers - 13 volunteers this week, from Austria, England, France, Netherlands, USA and Wales. On some days we have more people than the number of shifts requires, so Ed and I are visiting and making links with other volunteer organisations. I'll say more of this in my next post - one of them is a very small venture called Forging Ukraine, founded by a Welshman - they make iron staples to fix the logs together in trenches so it's absolutely vital work. Sponsors are needed - no amount is too small. (See information below.)

Thank you, as always, for your donations; however small, they are always effective. Thank you, also, for taking the time to read this post. Comments are welcome, either on the blog site itself or by text message.

To make a donation to the regular causes I support, please open PayPal and, when asked for email, enter sunflower_house@hotmail.co.uk. You can specify where you would like your donation to go, including whether or not you wish to support a civilian only cause; otherwise I will send the money where I think the need is greatest:

Hell's Kitchen cooks daily, nutritious meals and bakes bread, for hospitals, wounded soldiers and others in need. https://hellskitchenukraine.org/

The Adults for Children foundation in Kharkiv supports children and families affected by war, through humanitarian aid, including food and medicine. They focus on psychological rehabilitation, educational initiative and creating safe spaces for children's development.

https://instagram.com/adults_for_children?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Inna runs a small group of volunteers who make camouflage nets, ghillie suits and stretchers. Paypal: moreman@3g.ua

Forging Ukraine makes iron trench staples.

https://linktr.ee/forgingukraine?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=a51c49f0-5759-478d-8a44-2ce547d5a960

I support an apartment community in Kherson.

If you would like to donate to a charity that supports animals - Animal Rescue Kharkiv. https://www.animalrescuekharkiv.org/

Kharkiv Paw Crew runs a shelter for horses and dogs.

Speaking of animals, my hedgehog family has expanded...