The Bread Supplier Feeds Ukrainians in Need

Breakfast is the loudest time of the day, the volunteers say in this small oven in Kiev called the Best People “Bulka. Since the beginning of Russian aggression in Ukraine, this furnace has baked more than 120,000 loaves for people in need. The Voice of America team in Kiev spoke with Mr. Dmytro Zargeevskiy, who heads the bread oven event.

We are now operating in Makariv, Chernihiv, Donnetsk region, Kharkiv and expanding areas where we send bread to the needy. Bread is not just to satisfy hunger, but it is a symbol of support for the needy”.

The bakery began its operation in 2017 as a comprehensive project that employs disabled individuals. 27-year-old Catherine Kovalchuk says she has found a friendly job and support there.

I've been working here since March 2nd 2020. If you know the job well, there's nothing wrong with”.

Former American soldier Patrick Longfield, married to a Ukrainian woman in 2017 and resident of that area, has volunteered in this bakery despite having no experience whatsoever.

I fought earlier as a soldier for Americans, a very difficult and dangerous job. Now I'm not that young. But I wanted to help the country somehow, so I decided to volunteer”.

This colorful van is welcome for people in Ukraine's most hit areas.

We don't have stores now and it's very expensive going into town to get a bread of”, says one resident.

Vladyslav Malaschenko, owner of the furnace, often associates volunteers as they share the bread and talk with needy.

We brought 600 bread today. Half of them were distributed today and the rest will be distributed by local volunteers tomorrow. We're gonna be back here next week”

He says that the distributed bread is free and that the furnace exists thanks to the donations. People donate money, flour, and other ingredients. At a cost of $13,000 a month, the bakery supplies about 12,000 free. / VOA