Reifenhäuser donates 30,000 euros for a humanitarian kitchen in Ukraine

The humanitarian kitchen was opened in the summer of 2025 as a joint project between the association Sankt Augustin and friends hilft e.V. and the Ukrainian NGO P&P Sobschuk. The goal is to provide refugees and soldiers with nutritious, non-perishable meals and thereby contribute to local humanitarian aid.

Quick and sustainable on-site assistance
The donation from the business family made it possible to purchase the necessary kitchen equipment and to continuously stock up on the required food supplies. The facility, which resembles a small industrial production line, can produce up to 20,000 meals per month. These consist of a stew made from buckwheat, vegetables, and pork, which is packaged in special, sturdy plastic pouches and autoclaved. This ensures a long shelf life and allows for easy reheating. For example, the bags can simply be placed in hot water. The individual portions are therefore particularly suitable for mobile operations and regions with limited infrastructure, and can even be dropped by transport drones if necessary to establish an airlift to supply people who are cut off. The contents of each bag are designed to meet one person’s daily nutritional needs.

Production follows standardized processes to ensure consistent quality, efficiency, and food safety. The food used is sourced locally to establish a self-sufficient supply chain while also supporting local agriculture. Meal distribution is organized in close coordination with local volunteers and partner organizations, ensuring that assistance reaches exactly where it is most urgently needed.

Gunther Maassen, chairman of Sankt Augustin and friends hilft e.V., emphasizes that the opening of the humanitarian kitchen marks the beginning of a long-term commitment: “The infrastructure is to be gradually expanded. Among other things, we plan to produce additional non-perishable foods, such as lard and spreads, to further improve basic food provision. The donation from the Reifenhäuser family is a substantial contribution toward ensuring the operation and food supply of the kitchen.”

Klaus Reifenhäuser explains on behalf of the Reifenhäuser family: “We have been involved with Sankt Augustin and friends hilft e.V. since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The kitchen is another powerful project that significantly improves the local humanitarian situation. In addition to providing the necessary food supplies, the meals are also tasty and of high quality, which - given the circumstances - will hopefully create brief moments of well-being.”

From left to right: Gunther Maassen, Gabriele Reifenhäuser, Klaus Reifenhäuser, and Jutta Maassen display the individually packaged non-perishable meals, each of which provides enough food for one person for a day.

Picture: Reifenhäuser

About Reifenhäuser Group

Together with its highly specialized business units, the Reifenhäuser Group is the leading provider of innovative technologies and components for plastics extrusion. Founded in 1911, the company has grown to become a global provider of high-tech solutions. Today, Reifenhäuser has the world's largest network of expertise in plastics extrusion technologies, supported by 1,500 experts and led by the Group CEO Bernd Reifenhäuser.