Kyiv, 7 August 2025 – Chef and influencer Alik Mkrtchyan, together with representatives of the Embassy of Italy in Kyiv and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), took part today in the distribution of meals at the Kyiv social canteen, supported by the Italian Cooperation.
Active since January 2025 just a few hundred meters from the central railway station of the Ukrainian capital, the social canteen – established within a project of Fondazione Progetto Arca Onlus – provides daily assistance to people in situations of particular vulnerability: the homeless, elderly people living alone, women with children, and displaced persons. The service operates five days a week, with two daily shifts managed by Progetto Arca’s local partner, Remar International. Since the start of operations, more than 770 people have registered to access the service, with a daily average of around 100 attendees and a growing trend. The facility also includes a wardrobe for the distribution of basic necessities and a dedicated children’s area.
The intervention is part of the Second Emergency Initiative, financed by Italy through the AICS office in Kyiv, which encompasses 26 projects in Ukraine and neighboring countries. The initiative forms part of the broader humanitarian response of the Italian Government, structured across three multisectoral programs with a total value of €105.5 million. Activities range from health to protection, from education to demining, and from food assistance to psychosocial support, carried out in cooperation with Italian, Ukrainian, and international civil society organizations, with a particular focus on areas close to the frontline. To date, over one million people have benefitted from this aid.
The presence of Chef Mkrtchyan, a well-followed figure in Ukraine’s culinary scene, provided a moment of public awareness-raising on the conditions of the most vulnerable segments of the population.
“This canteen is not only a place where food is distributed, but a space of dignity and hope. Italy will continue to stand alongside Ukraine and those most affected by the war, with concrete and compassionate interventions like this one,” said the Ambassador of Italy to Ukraine, Carlo Formosa.
Also attending the event were Stefano Moser, Consul of Italy in Kyiv, and Pietro Pipi, Head of the AICS office in Kyiv, who joined the canteen staff during meal distribution.
The initiative is part of the extensive commitment of Italian Cooperation in Ukraine, which since the start of the full-scale invasion has exceeded half a billion euros, combining humanitarian action and development cooperation projects
