Coming together, offering support through food
In 2008, Russia invaded the country of Georgia. The battle resulted in the death of hundreds of civilians and displaced thousands more.
That’s why Maia Meghvinishvili, who hails from Georgia, offered up the aptly named Georgia Café for a fundraiser to support Ukraine.
The café pre-sold 300 Ukrainian lunches for the event. The meals consisted of borscht, perogies, and cabbage rolls. People also dropped in and purchased traditional desserts on a first come first serve basis.
“When this war started, it was very close to me and I wanted to do something, and I contacted the Ukrainian community and offered [the café],” Meghvinishvili told Kelowna10.
“It’s amazing how much support we have. People are coming, non-stop phone calls, we couldn’t even catch up with orders.”
The money will be donated to Ukrainian war and humanitarian efforts, providing necessary items such as helmets, bulletproof vests, radios, and internet for cell phones so soldiers on the front line can stay in contact with loved ones overseas.
Georgia Café was bustling with people waiting to order treats and pick up their meals Friday morning. The smell of perogies and borscht filled the room. Ukrainian flags and balloons coloured yellow and blue were displayed inside and outside the café.
“Thanks to everyone who worked on this, who offered help, who is helping, who is donating,” she said.
“This is great, and this is where we all come together… standing against dictatorship, against tyranny, against war, and [being] on the side of democracy and freedom.”
Co-organizer Irina Meyer is Ukrainian and has family in Kyiv, where she said they are staying in bomb shelters.
“It’s so sad because now, Ukrainian women don’t make borsch and perogies in my country, they make homemade weapons,” Meyer told Kelowna10 while holding back tears.
“My brother, he’s right in a war right now [and] I talk to him every day… 12 guys from his battalion died over the [past] seven days. It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever had in my life.”
Meyer said some people had time to escape, but lots stayed in the city because they didn’t expect this to happen. She said the entire ordeal feels like a nightmare.
“Before we started our morning with a coffee, now we start it with a call to the family,” Meyer said, recounting a call earlier in the day with her mom, where she could hear bombs going off in the background.
“We are very appreciative, and we need this help right now… It’s time for the actions, not the words.”
The fundraiser will run again on March 11.
Published 2022-03-04 by Jordan Brenda
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