Authentic Ukrainian food fundraiser

WAYLAND — Saturday, May 7 WACO’s student council and community members will host a fundraiser for Ukrainian exchange student Oleh Shtefanchuk, better known as, Odee.

The dinner will be held at WACO High School from 5-7 p.m. for freewill donations.

The dinner will consist of authentic Ukrainian food including varenyky, sausage, borscht, coleslaw, hash browns, fruit, salad, and dessert.

Shtefanchuk will address attendees at 6 p.m. and speak about himself, his family, and his country.

Lisa Graber is the organizer behind this event.

Shtefanchuk and Graber met last fall when he first came to WACO as a junior year exchange student.

“Everyone is pretty connected in our community,” Graber said.

She and Shtefanchuk bonded over a shared love of Ukrainian food.

Graber grew up in a Mennonite area of Kansas with Ukrainian roots and ate many of the same foods as Shtefanchuk.

According to Graber, varenyky is something similar to the Polish perogies.

“They are a dumpling-like thing made from a pasta-like dough,” Graber said.

The fundraiser dinner’s varenyky will have a cheese filling like a ravioli.

While Graber is used to eating varenyky fried, Shtefanchuk is more accustomed to eating his boiled like pasta, so the fundraiser will offer both options with a ham gravy on top.

Graber also described the borscht as a cabbage based vegetable soup that normally contains ham.

Community members and Graber’s aunt, Kathy Houk, from Missouri will be preparing food the Friday before the event.

Houk is not stranger to mass producing this Ukranian food as she used to own a business where she would make this sort of food, freeze it, and sell it in grocery stores.

To learn more about and support exchange student Odee, his family, and his country attend this authentic food fundraiser Saturday May 7 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at WACO High School.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com