Chef José Andrés Sets Up World Central Kitchen on Ukraine-Poland Border to Feed Refugees

"Like you, I am distraught watching Ukraine under attack," the World Central Kitchen founder tweeted amid Russian's invasion of the country

Chef José Andrés. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

José Andrés is stepping up to provide aid to the people of Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.

The Spanish-American chef, 52, announced his nonprofit organization World Central Kitchen is on the ground at the Ukraine-Poland border to assist with the refugee crisis following Russia's invasion earlier this week.

"People of the World…Like you, I am distraught watching Ukraine under attack," Andrés tweeted on Friday. "We must come together as a force for good! @WCKitchen is on Poland border delivering meals tonight—Romania soon. In addition to your donations…I am committing support from the Bezos award to Ukraine."

In 2021, Andrés was a recipient of Jeff Bezos' Courage and Civility Award, an honor which came with $100 million.

Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post/Getty

Along with his tweet, the chef also shared a video of himself encouraging his followers to speak out against injustice.

"Here is a fight and we're gonna make sure that nobody's going hungry, and we show the respect they deserve," he said. "But again, [it's] no more of allowing people [to] think they are the top of the world, that they are bad people bringing the worst out of humanity. We need to be a force of good."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Russia began an invasion of Ukraine earlier this week, according to the Ukraine government, with forces moving from the north, east and south. The attack is still-evolving but explosions and airstrikes have been reported, with threats mounting against the capital, Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million people.

The invasion has resulted in the deaths of a number of citizens, with at least 150,000 Ukrainians fleeing the country for safety, according to Associated Press.

President Vladimir Putin's aggression toward Ukraine has been widely condemned by the international community, including with economic sanctions and NATO troops massing in the region. Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the interest of so-called "peacekeeping."

CNN reports that the White House, along with the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada, have announced they would expel certain Russian banks from SWIFT — the high-security network connecting thousands of financial institutions worldwide — in an effort to "collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin."

The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.