Kai’s Cafe and European Food has raised over £1,000 for victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, giving proceeds made by weekend sales.
Kai’s is a family run business based on Old London Road in Kingston and is known for serving authentic Eastern European cuisine to its clientele.
Owner of the cafe Gerda Yezhevska, 31, whose husband is from Ukraine, said sales amounted to approximately £1,300 over the weekend of February 26. Proceeds were donated to Ukrainian families fleeing war.
Yezhevska said she was overwhelmed by the support shown by the local community: “How did I feel? Amazing. Emotional I would say, because I was not expecting a lot of people…but a lot of people came and gave money without even buying anything.”
Over 900 civilians have been killed since the invasion of Ukraine began, with an estimated 2.8 million refugees now displaced from their homes. The conflict has produced the largest number of refugees in Europe since 1945.
Boris Johnson’s government has since established the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme in Britain to house victims of the war. Within 24 hours, 88,000 people in the UK signed up to the scheme.
