FORT PIERCE, Fla. — At Saints Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Church in Fort Pierce, the pierogies were boiling Tuesday.
But before they get into the pot, a group of volunteers comes twice a week to pinch and prod to create the culinary delight.
Among the volunteers is Marina Cheong of Port St. Lucie, who moved to the U.S. from Ukraine 30 years ago.
When she heard about the church's "Slavic Kitchen" last year, she signed up to stay connected to what's happening overseas.
"You feel helpless, but when you're doing this, you feel you are helping your country," Cheong said.
Her hometown of Kherson, Ukraine, has suffered severe damage from the conflict with Russia, now a shell of what it once was.
"They didn't have any water or electricity, and the people just suffer for nothing," Cheong said.
Eileen Frank spearheads the kitchen. She visited Ukraine before the war began last year.
"It's beautiful," Frank as she stirred a pierogi that was rising to the top. "It's just beautiful farmlands, beautiful cities."
The "Slavic Kitchen" started as a way to pay the church bills, but they've also been able to help aide groups located overseas.
Last year, they managed to raise $20,000.
"The public was wonderful," Frank said. "The generosity was incredible."
They hope a good pierogi push this spring can exceed that amount.
The "Slavic Kitchen" is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from now until Easter.
