A popular Ukrainian diner in New York City’s East Village is raising money to help Ukrainian relief efforts. Since 1954, Veselka has been serving pierogies, potato pancakes, stuffed cabbage and other eastern European staples to diners in the Ukrainian Village section of lower Manhattan. Although it was already one of the most popular spots in the neighborhood, interest in the restaurant has increased dramatically in the last week following the brutal invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military.
Jason Birchard, the third generation owner of Veselka, is donating all the proceeds from the sale of Veselka's borscht—both dine-in and take-out—to help Ukrainian relief efforts. Birchard says they’ve had lines to get into the restaurant from open to close since last Tuesday and they’ve already raised nearly $10-thousand. In addition to the money they’re raising with their borscht sales, they’re also accepting donations of basic necessities to send to Ukraine.
Veselka is also showing it’s solidarity with Ukraine in other ways, like with the yellow and blue cookies they’re selling designed to look like the Ukrainian flag. And Birchard has been wearing a vyshyvanka [[vishy vanka]], a traditional Ukrainian shirt. “We have to stand collectively,” says Birchard. “Bring this to light and let the world know that we’re with Ukraine and we’ll do our best to survive.”