The goal of the Restore Ukraine charity dinner auction was to let the world hear the stories of ordinary Ukrainians. Stories of war, separation and loss.

Last Friday, April 21st, Restore Ukraine organized its second charity auction. It was attended by approximately 85 people.  In addition to locals, there were numerous Ukrainians who had either recently moved to the United States or had been living here for some time.

The purpose of the event was to introduce Americans to Ukrainian culture and cuisine, but when Ukrainians gather together they begin to share stories of narrow escapes and harrowing journeys. On Friday, our Ukrainian guests recounted their wartime experiences. It’s worth noting that each story was unique and terrible in its own way. Someone had to abandon their entire family in Ukraine to work in another country to financially aid their loved ones. Someone’s loved one was killed in the war. Someone’s home was destroyed by a Russian bomb. There is only one war, yet it has claimed the lives of millions of people.

Nobody was unaffected by the stories. Some attendants cried. The conflict is easy to forget for some, as it is taking place in another country. But it’s tough to forget what you’ve heard when presented with a person who has lost everything against their will: a home, a job, a loved one.

The evening’s guests got the opportunity to touch Ukrainian art and meet the artists behind the paintings via autobiographies. And, once again, each artist had his or her own narrative to tell. What happened to this artist? In what state did they create this painting? These nuances radically alter one’s view of art.

A lot of artists migrated to other countries, but one of the auction paintings’ creators did not survive the war – in the midst of the horror, a young man died of a heart attack. The sale featured one of the maker’s final paintings.

Another artist is fighting at the front to defend his country, and his artwork created a splash. Before the war, he started painting the portrait “Maria” named after his daughter with blue and yellow balloons. Then, his daughter was forced to be evacuated to a safer area away from Kharkiv. This is when he finished a painting that gained a whole different connotation.

The artworks that depicted Ukrainian emblems and colors drew the most attention, like sunflower paintings, an image of a Eastern Orthodox cathedral near the river and a picture of clouds over Ukraine.

Traditional Ukrainian foods such as chicken Kiev, stuffed peppers, national deserts and many others were served at the charity dinner. 

The funds raised during the dinner-auction will be used solely to purchase food packages so that Ukrainians in need can also eat hot and appetizing cuisine.

We are grateful to everyone who shared our feelings with intimate life stories and contributed to such an important cause to provide these people a relief. We will fight on humanitarian front! 

Foto: republished with permission of The Greeneville Sun.