Chef José Andrés and his team are feeding Ukrainians on the front lines of the war

Those fleeing the violence in Ukraine could spend days traveling before they're able to reach safety.

That's why famed chef José Andrés, through his nonprofit World Central Kitchen, quickly set up facilities across the country to provide meals for people fleeing the war. They were on the ground in Ukraine one day after the Russian invasion.

"Why we are so quick? Because we don't plan. We don't meet. We come, and we begin cooking," Andrés told NPR's Michel Martin.

The nonprofit, which partnered with restaurants in the country, is serving food at hundreds of locations in 12 Ukrainian cities, he said. It also has sites in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia for refugees who crossed the border to safety.

"It kind of breaks your heart, because you wonder why we need to be putting young people – men and women – in this situation of having to go to defend their country and putting their lives at risk. Nothing makes sense," Andrés said from the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

"At least, feeding people is what makes sense. Longer tables, people working together to make sure that one plate of food at a time we can bring hope of a better tomorrow," he added.

Andrés urged people to call on their political leaders to find solutions to end the war in Ukraine, which has been raging for more than two weeks.

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