Today, on Little Market Square in Cracow people have gathered to try out Ukrainian dishes and to donate money to Caritas – a charity organization currently helping the victims of the war. Besides eating, the attendees could also get tree seedlings from State Forests and listen to the representative orchestra of AGH University of Science and Technology.
The event was organized by the voivode of Lesser Poland and the rectors of the Agricultural University of Cracow and AGH University of Science and Technology. Their point was to bring Poles and Ukrainian together in a common cause – supporting refugees. Since 2 P.M. the visitors could get plates with Ukrainian borscht, ribs and dumplings, stuffed with either curd and onion or potatoes with onion. The dishes were given out for free, however, on the stands, there were many donation boxes. There were also volunteers, who walked around with Caritas tins collecting money.
The rector of the Agricultural University Sylwester Tabor announced that 8,000 dumplings and over 400 litres of borscht were made in total with almost 1,500 kilograms of products donated by AU’s graduates working in the agri-food industry. There were 20 chefs, mostly Ukrainian ladies living in University’s student house, who cooked according to original recipes.
There was also an auction of antiquities, where the proceeds also went to Caritas, and concerts by the choir and orchestra of AGH University of Science and Technology. State Forests, a governmental organization managing forests in Poland, also had a stand during the action. They prepared 2,000 seedlings of both deciduous and coniferous trees.
The organizers provided also stands with information for refugees – how to register, what is a PESEL, and how to apply for the 300+ program.