During the past five weeks of war, in the town of Brovary (an Eastern suburb of Kyiv), just one bakery continues to bake bread. The bakery can only operate outside of mandatory curfew, but even in the limited working hours the volunteers bake over 1,000 loaves of bread per day.
The bread is handed out in the town center, in a Christian coffee shop, Cafe 21.3, where a line of people gathers each morning to wait for food. The bakery has also taken on the task of preparing soup for the hungry people who have risked coming despite the wailing sirens, and the explosions in the nearby villages.
Throughout the day, the volunteers also distribute the bread to those who cannot come to the cafe. They take the loaves of bread and buckets of soup and transport them to the elderly, the sick, and families who have children with disabilities. The food is also distributed outside of Brovary into Kyiv, to people who have been living in bomb shelters for weeks due to the war.
The flour, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions, fresh pork, and canned meat all come from a charitable organization, Druzi Ye!, which is located in the town of Dubno in Western Ukraine. This organization sends produce, meat, and baking supplies almost daily to many towns across Ukraine.
The canned meat prepared by the volunteers from Dubno is very popular among the soldiers, firefighters, and the territorial defense battalions. Another organization which is located in Kyiv, Power in Unity, picks up the canned meat and distributes it across Ukraine. This organization also provides medical and basic essentials to the first responders and soldiers.
Along with the food, medicine, and basic essentials, all three organizations share the Gospel and distribute New Testaments and other Christian literature to the people they serve. Druzi Ye! also ministers to the children affected by the war by creating and implementing educational programs, preparing crafts and fun activities, and distributing the Christian magazine Noiv Ark along with other children’s Christian literature.
The Ukrainian Baptist Convention in the USA is proud to support Cafe 21.3, Druzi Ye! and Power in Unity in their mission to serve the communities torn apart by war, and spread hope in this time of darkness in Ukraine.
