It has been 19 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, reducing cities to rubble and forcing more than 3 million people to flee. Many of those refugees are women and children, crossing the border with only the clothes on their backs.
Like many Connecticut business owners, the owner of Bear’s Smokehouse said he and his partner first held a fundraiser, donating a quarter of their sauce and rub sales to help refugees.
However he didn’t stop there, taking his skills to the Ukrainian-Polish border, where Jamie McDonald is offering a warm plate and an open ear to those trying to escape the war zone.
At the border, amidst moments of heartbreak, there are scenes of people coming together, and it stirred the local restaurateur.
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"I'm the type of person that can't pass up a chance to help somebody in need. I saw that I have the skill set, and I had the opportunity to do this,” McDonald said.
Bear’s Smokehouse has four restaurants in Connecticut, but McDonald is serving hot plates with a smile on the side to refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.
"I jumped on their volunteer list, and I was here within a couple of days,” he said.
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For a week now, McDonald has been volunteering with World Central Kitchen, an organization founded after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It serves food to people coping with disaster. WCK states it has made one million meals for refugees from Ukraine.
"Where do all those people go? What are they going to do?” McDonald said. “If I could be here and provide them with a hot meal and just even a moment of comfort with what they're going through, it's worth being here every day to me."
McDonald said a surge at the border near Medyka, Poland Tuesday had him scrambling in his makeshift kitchen about five miles away, making hot stews and soups, everything from scratch.
"It's really a horrible situation that's going on down there at the border every day, you know, and it's a constant stream of people coming over,” he said.
He is also stepping away from the pot to connect with the people whose lives are changing by the minute.
"They have what they have on their back; they all have backpacks and suitcases. I can't imagine being in that situation,” McDonald said. “I've seen women with what looks like newborn infants, carrying them across, and their animals and pets. It's very tragic. And I've had some people that can actually speak English tell me about their stories. One lady pulled out her phone to show me pictures of her apartments that were just decimated."
The people of Connecticut are also stepping up. A Facebook fundraiser for the Bear’s Smokehouse efforts in Ukraine has raised more than $50,000.
McDonald said his son will join him next week and they will continue on, offering not just home-cooked meals but also compassion.
"You're smiling, you're positive, and at the same time, you want to cry for these people. But you can't do it,” McDonald said. “You're the first person there that they're seeing once they cross out of Ukraine, so they're finally in a safe spot. And they need nothing but positivity."
So, he is keeping the pot hot, the power of the plate, offering a moment of peace for those fleeing the war,
“When you go home and go back to the apartment, sometimes you do cry. It is tough,” McDonald said. “But then it's all about keeping a perspective. You see what these people are going through. At the end of the day, I get to go back to my hotel; I don't have to worry about what I'm going to have for dinner. So, it's again, my problems, or the sadness I'm feeling, is nothing compared to what they're going through.
