JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — At this point in the Russian invasion, millions of Ukrainians have been forced to leave the only place they’ve ever called home.
But the fight for survival has only begun, once they reach safety as refugees.
Action News Jax’s Courtney Cole introduces us to a local bakery in Springfield that’s using their sweet treats to help raise money for Ukrainians in need.
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“Ukraine is very near and dear to me, my parents ran a non-profit there for quite a while and lived in Kyiv,” Allison D’Aurizio explained.
After countless conversations with her parents, D’Aurizio, the owner of 1748 Bakehouse in Springfield, became determined to find a way to give back to the country.
Then she found an Instagram page called Hamantashen for Ukraine. It’s a page created to encourage the baking of the Jewish pastry, to raise money for humanitarian aid.
“We were in the middle of the Purim season of the Jewish calendar ... it just clicked. And I thought, ‘This, I can do!’” D’Aurizio exclaimed.
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D’Aurizio said the whole experience was really endearing.
“We started out thinking we’d make about 200 of them, and you know, almost 600 later, it was because we had the momentum behind us and the customers were coming back and coming back,” D’Aurizio told Action News Jax.
She said 1748 Bakehouse was able to raise $1,062.50 from the Hamantashen.
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Moving forward, they will be donating a portion of their baked sales to World Central Kitchen, an international organization dedicated to feeding the most vulnerable people in crisis, including in Ukraine.
“We need humans. We need people next door and we need people across the world. We’re all neighbors and we’re all one tribe and we have to support each other,” D’Aurizio said.
Check out the Hamantashen for Ukraine website HERE.
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