In the morning morning, I scour the news to find out what latest catastrophe has hit Ukraine, all the while hoping to come across glimmers of hope. Then I poke around social media to see who is doing what locally, to support the humanitarian relief efforts.
As for the latter case, I have found numerous people, organizations, and businesses, that are doing what they can to help with the relief efforts. In particular, the local culinary sector is rising to the occasion, by offering delicious foods that are for sale, with proceeds going towards supporting the Ukrainian people.
For example, Village Bake Shoppe in Lewiston is making blue and yellow heart cookies, with all proceeds going toward Ukraine Relief Efforts.
Get connected: www.instagram.com/villagebakeshoppe
And one Buffalo restaurant is donating 100% of its pizza sales to the Ukraine relief effort. The owner of the eatery asked not to be mentioned because they are currently being overwhelmed with customers and can’t handle any additional orders. We will circle back with that owner towards the end of the month, to discuss the effort.
Then there’s Blue Table Chocolate that posted this on their Instagram page:
We’re appalled as a team to see what’s happening in Ukraine, and wanted to help in whatever small way we could. Our ‘Save Ukraine’ Collection, matching the country’s flag contains our peanut butter caramel & kiwi-pineapple-passion fruit truffles, available in either 6-P or 12-P boxes. All proceeds from the sale of this collection will be donated directly to the Dnipro Ukrainian Cultural Center of Buffalo to provide humanitarian aid and medical care to the the people of Ukraine.
Get connected: www.instagram.com/bluetablechocolate
And finally, Phil Gigliotti (head cider maker at BlackBird Cider Works), has been making Narodnij Dim Hot Sauce to support the Ukrainian-American Civic Center. He started by making 29 bottles that he sold at the club.
“All 29 bottles of the hot sauce sold out in 2 hours last evening,” said Phil. “I plan to make a larger batch this weekend and hope to have it ready for fundraising events in April. I’ve been growing peppers for years now. Last summer I had 53 pepper plants in my garden. I’ve been making hot sauces as a hobby for 3 years. As for the , I need to make more! Just like the first batch, 100% of sales from the next batch will also be donated. These types of efforts and support show community solidarity and that people care. I’m just hoping all this ends peacefully sooner rather than later.”
On Phil’s Facebook page, he talked about how he initially got involved with The Ukrainian Club:
“I’ve been a proud member of the UACC for 8 years now. I was first introduced to this fine institution after joining the Scajaquada Canoe Club in 2014. The Canoe Club and the Ukrainian-American Civic Center (UACC – Narodnij Dim) are closely intertwined. The UACC serves as the unofficial headquarters of the canoe team. Despite not being Ukrainian, ‘Narodnij Dim’ has always welcomed me with open arms. I’ve met so many wonderful and unique people at the UACC and have formed some truly incredible friendships there! The hot sauce is made of peach Carolina reapers, pears, and strawberries. This sauce has been aging/fermenting for 5 months, is quite hot, and has a beautiful golden color.”
Phil said that anyone who wants a bottle from the next batch can stay tuned to UACC’s Facebook page.
“They were very excited about this project and are looking forward to more,” he told me.
For additional information, or to directly donate to UACC, visit dniprobuffalo.com.
The post Buffalo Supports Ukraine via Pizza, Cookies, Truffles… and Narodnij Dim Hot Sauce. appeared first on Buffalo Rising.