TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — More than 300 people gathered over meals of pierogies and kielbasa on Friday as they raised money for local Ukrainian refugees.
The polish dinner was held at St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church in Tarpon Springs, in partnership with a local polish school.
Organizer Aneta Budzinski, who was born and raised in Poland, said she had been seeing the great work people in Poland had been doing to help their Ukrainian neighbors and was eager to get involved herself.
"A lot of my friends and people who I'm speaking to all the time, they're all trying to help the Ukrainian refugees. So once they started coming here it was natural, almost like no questions, that's that is what a polish school is going to get involved in," Budzinski said.
Another event organizer, John Donnell, estimates the event will raise several thousand dollars. He says so many locals wanted to attend the event that they had to begin turning people away.
"I wish I had an event space that could fit 500 people," Donnell said.
The event's proceeds will go to the Epiphany of Our Lord Ukrainian Catholic Church in St. Petersburg, which is helping 19 refugee families from Ukraine who are now in Pinellas County.
You can donate directly by visiting the church's website.
