Middletown bakery raises money for Ukrainian refugee family

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (WFSB) - A Middletown bakery is making sure that a Ukrainian family that just arrived getting a warm welcome and has everything that they need.

Cake Batter & Roll in Middletown brought out a special guest to help raise money and donations for a family that left everything behind in Ukraine.

Viktoriia Zakhidna is a Ukrainian refugee. She said, “so I just want to say thank you all did too much for me as I think.”

Zakhidna and her two children fled Ukraine just a week ago with nothing but a single suitcase.

“No one believed that war would start, you know,” she said. “And when they starting bombing too much, and I took this decision. But it was hard because the kids had to leave their father.”

On Friday Cake, Batter & Roll Bakery held the I Kissed A Goat And I Liked It fundraiser, with all funds going straight to Zakhidna’s family.

That’s where Cookie the goat comes in, for $5 you can snag a kiss or take a picture with him.

The bakery is also collecting certain items for the family of three.

Lindsey Chartrand is the owner of Cake, Batter & Roll.

“People have already been so generous with clothing, so we are holding off on that. But toiletries non-perishables food and obviously gift cards.” said Chartrand.

The family says each act of kindness means the world to them

Mariana is Zakhidna’s sister. She said it, “gives you a lot of hope and it shows you how kind people are you know them going out of their normal life and doing this event its heart warming. Absolutely heartwarming.”

Thebakery will continue to take donations for the family up until April 3.

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