Thursday, October 1, 2026
“Being a mother myself, it kind of just hits you differently, seeing all these mothers just really broken by their children being killed,” said Katya Witthuhn, owner of Bluebird Chocolates in Oyster Bay. “And I can’t think about myself in that situation.”
Witthuhn was referring to the Russian strike that targeted a maternity hospital in the besieged southern city of Mariupol in Ukraine.
The war in Ukraine is approaching its three-week mark. There have been many heartbreaking stories of loss, and reports of horrific living conditions throughout the country.
Witthuhn moved to the United States when she was 10 years ago from St. Petersburg, Russia, but many of her extended family still live there.
“That feeling of helplessness is so terrible … I just want it all to be over with,” she said. “I can’t keep from watching videos and news with all the terrible things happening right now.”
The feeling of “helplessness” that Witthuhn refers to is common. Since the start of the invasion, she has been donating 100 percent of sales from her blue and yellow milk chocolate truffles, to World Central Kitchen. A non-profit, it provides meals in times of crisis and humanitarian need across the world. It’s currently feeding Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, in addition to feeding those still inside Ukraine.
Ukraine is well known for its agricultural imports and production of sunflower oil, wheat, barley, and maize on a global scale. But now, Ukraine faces food insecurity due to disruptions in supply chains caused by the Russian invasion.
“It’s such a huge historical event, and it’s created such a humanitarian crisis we wanted to do something to support everyone that’s been displaced by this,” said Michael Amendola, co-owner of the Village Wine Merchant in Sea Cliff. “The fact that you’ve got millions of people trying to get out of Ukraine, and they’re refugees in neighboring countries we were looking for a good place to donate some dollars and help with the effort with the humanitarian crisis that’s unfolding.”
Amendola said his business began donating as soon as the World Central Kitchen started their efforts in Ukraine. He said that as long as the situation is dire and the need is there, the Village Wine Merchant will continue to donate an average of 10 percent of their weekly sales to World Central Kitchen.
Not all businesses donating to World Central Kitchen are culinary in nature. Dana Baron, from Baron Flowers in Sea Cliff, heard about World Central Kitchen on social media, and their effort in helping Ukraine. She decided it was the best organization to work with.
Initially, Baron was going to donate proceeds strictly from her sunflower sales — a symbol of peace in Ukraine. But the demand was too high and the supply very short. So, she changed her sales tactics to keep up with a consistent donation regimen.
Baron is donating proceeds from the flowers she sells outside her shop, which sell for $18 and are also available for purchase after hours through Venmo. Baron said she typically sells five bouquets a day and is donating weekly.
“I hope and pray that this comes to a close, but the need [for donations] is still going to be there,” she said. “Even if the war ended today, all those people are still really going to be in need. I’ll keep [donating] as long as I can.”
