Bake for Ukraine, Help a Kyiv bakery continue!

Hi, my name is Jon. I own a sourdough bakery called Proof Bread in Mesa, Arizona, and I'm raising funds to help my friend Anna from Kyiv to keep feeding the people of Ukraine. Anna Makievska is one of the founders of BAKEHOUSE, a sourdough bakery in the heart of Kyiv. Her bakery is widely regarded as one of the best in Ukraine. Since the war broke out, Anna, her newborn daughter Mariia, her 8 year old Varvara and her mom managed to escape to Spain. Her husband stayed behind to fight, and her bakery is feeding anyone who comes in without regard for finance.

 

BAKEHOUSE is a dream that Anna has been working on for many years. I met her at a Washington State Grain Gathering back in the summer of 2018. We connected over our similar cultural roots as my family is from Poland. Ever since I have been following her journey and have been been inspired by it. Anna moved her bakery from a basement to a beautiful open concept space in the heart of Kyiv just last Fall, and her team baked there through February 24th. Anna also has a market, whose warehouse was bombed in the first week of the new war. The team members who remain in Kyiv have taken refuge in their old basement bakery where each day they continue to make bread for hundreds of people in Kyiv without sustainable revenue. Their new bakery, an open hall full of huge windows is too dangerous to be in at the present time.

 

In peacetime, Bakehouse was seeing 1500 people walk through the door daily and employed 80 bakers. Now, hundreds are still coming in, and Bakehouse is providing free bread in return. As Anna explained to me, many bread bakers in Ukraine are men, and men aged 18-60 were compelled by military law to stay. Thus, BAKEHOUSE continues to bake. Within a few weeks they will no longer have the resources to continue, but we can help.

 

My bakery Proof has always been a community endeavor. Over the years, our wonderful supporters have helped us overcome all sorts of challenges. This could be the most important one. We are actively partnering with bakers around that world on this campaign to Bake for Ukraine. The funds from this campaign will go directly to Bakehouse so they can continue to pay the bakers who have remained, and produce bread for their community.

 

Your donations will be used to feed people in Ukraine. They will keep BAKEHOUSE bakers employed despite the bakery losing its sources of revenue. Their work will feed many who walk through their doors. Food production is amongst the most essential activities for any community. Someone needs to make the bread regardless of the circumstances.

 

Our fundraiser will connect many baking communities to one. Proof has baking connections around the globe, and many have already committed to #BakeforUkraine with us. Check in for Updates. Anna and I will be providing Ukrainian bread recipes that you can produce at home or in your bakeries. We invite you to contribute what you can from those sales to this brave team and their community.

 

Anna's heart is with her whole country, her whole team, and with Ukrainian bakers in particular. We hope that this campaign will not only yield the funds necessary to keep feeding people in Ukraine, but also connect Ukrainian bakers and food workers to potential safe haven work opportunities around the world.

 

Donate to Anna, and help #BakeforUkraine. Check back regularly as this will be an ongoing effort.