Evansville church raises money for Ukraine with food fundraiser

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - An Evansville church is raising money to benefit those affected by the war between Russia and Ukraine. They are taking a unique approach, appealing to people through their stomachs.

At the Grace of Christ Slavic Baptist Church in Evansville, event organizers put together a little taste of Ukraine for those that came out in support.

This church has a congregation that’s affected by the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, perhaps more than any other. That’s for one simple reason.

“We would say half of them are from Ukraine, and all of us have ties there,” said church pastor from Ukraine, Victor Voronin. “We have relatives and friends there.”

After seeing the devastation to Ukraine, a minister came up with an idea to raise money to benefit those in need, and do so by offering a taste from that side of the world.

“The Ukrainian food is extremely delicious,” said Voronin. “Yes, I will suggest that you have to try it. This time you must.”

The crown jewel of the event was plov, a Ukrainian rice dish. They also offered “pray for Ukraine” yard signs and various desserts. For the less adventurous attendee, they also had hamburgers and hot dogs.

For those who grew up in Ukraine, it meant a lot to see the community support.

“American people are one of the nicest people,” said Eugene Inzhirov, who moved to the U.S. from Ukraine when he was 9 years old. “So it’s definitely great to see people get together and help support.”

Organizers say they’ve been trying to keep in touch with their family and friends in Ukraine every day, as much as inconsistent connections will allow. They say they’ve heard humbling stories of suffering in the area, and they’re eager to help however they can.

“It’s been devastating,” said Voronin. “Since the war started, since day one, we couldn’t stop thinking about it. We haven’t had a day or even an hour maybe of not talking about it.”

Event organizers emphasized they have Ukrainian and Russian people in their congregation, and their goal was just to raise support for those in need.

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