A group of Ukrainian natives and refugees now living in Hampton Roads have opened a Victory Kitchen to raise money for Ukraine as they continue defending themselves against Russia's attacks.
"We fight for our freedom, we fight for our land, and we fight for our people," said Valentyna Sonmezler, a Ukrainian native who now lives in Virginia Beach.
Sonmezler and several members of Hampton Roads' Ukrainian community gathered at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church on Holy Thursday to make traditional Ukrainian bread ahead of Easter Sunday.
For many of them, including refugee Anastasiia Anastasiia MykhaileNko, it will be their first Easter in the United States.
"I came in September," said MykhaileNko. "This will be my first Easter here."
Just months before her arrival, MykhaileNko says she was hiding underground as Russian missiles struck her town.
"[There were] about 50 bombs in one day in my city in the center of the city," she described. "Not in fields, right in the center, the center of the city."
MykhaileNko now lives in Chesapeake and her fellow refugees say they are beyond appreciative to be living in the United States where they know they are safe. However, many of their family members remain in the war-torn country.
"I came here alone," said MykhaileNko.
To support Ukraine's defense against Russia, Victory Kitchen sells traditional Ukrainian dishes to raise money.
In addition to their special Easter bread, the kitchen makes other traditional Eastern European dishes like flippers, which are stuffed crepes with sweet cheese inside, and pierogies.
"We make dishes that we believe Americans will like...like crepes, cutlets, meatballs," explained Sonmezler.
The money raised supports the nonprofit Tidewater Ukrainian School, which has seen an uptick in enrollment as more Ukrainians flee Russia's attacks.
"We have a lot more refugees now," said Oleksandra Arkhangelska, director of the Tidewater Ukrainian school. "Over 200, it could be 300 refugees."
Funds will also help send emergency relief supplies to the front lines of the war.
"We deliver those boxes with humanitarian aid, medicine, dry goods, into those cities that are in Ukrainian territories but are being shelled and people are unable to leave," explained Sonmezler. "People who are not able to leave the area, staying in their houses and their village, being shelled by Russian missiles. They're the most vulnerable."
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church, where the Victory Kitchen is based, has also been working within the dioceses to send aid to Ukraine.
"We are supporting refugees in our monasteries over there," explained Joseph, a reader at the church. "Church halls have been converted into dormitories for orphans. Our bishop is sending, in the name of all of our people, money every month to help the church over there."
To help support the Victory Kitchen's fundraiser, just text your order to 757-756-8288.
Order pick-ups are typically on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church. You can learn more about the Tidewater Ukrainian School here and the Tidewater Ukrainian Cultural Association here.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church also invites the public to attend their Easter Sunday service. It begins at 6 a.m.
