Donate food to Ukrainian refugees or dine out for a good cause

For those who want to help feed Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic or dine out in support of a good cause, opportunities to do so were announced this week.

All 15 food banks in the Czech Republic have helped supply basic food and health aids to the hundreds of refugees from Ukraine that arrived at regional crisis centers over the weekend, according to the Czech Federation of Food Banks (ČFPB).

But Czech food banks say they starting to run low on supplies in many regions, and are asking for monetary donations or supplies so they can continue to provide aid.

Food can be donated at all food bank warehouses where collections take place. You can find a list on the ČFPB website.

Information on where to donate money directly to food banks can also be found on the website. Donations can be made through the Darujme platform or by transfer to an account number listed on the contact page of their website.

The food bank serving Prague and the Central Bohemia region is taking food donations at Toužimská 856, building C4, in Prague-Letňany on weekdays from 8 am to 1 pm. People can also donate money to a transparent account listed on Facebook.

Food banks in the Czech Republic don’t only operate in times of crisis. Last year they helped over 200,000 people and collected 9,300 tons of food. The banks obtain food from food chains, food collections, the European food and material aid program, growers, producers, and individuals

Online supermarket Košík.cz is letting customers contribute to the food bank with every purchase. People can select to add any amount between CZK 100 and CZK 2,000 to their total. Košík.cz will partly match the amount up to 25 percent.

Košík is working with the food banks to find out what they need the most, and also working with suppliers to obtain those items at the best price.

"Long-term contributions are especially important given the fact that the current humanitarian crisis is likely to last for months and the desire to help the Czechs must not stop,” Košík’s executive director Tomáš Jeřábek told the Czech News Agency (ČTK).

Several pubs and eateries are also hosting events where people can donate.

On Thursday, March 3, businesses in the Krymská Street area will join together and donate proceeds from food and drink to the citizens of Ukraine. The event runs all day long from 10 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.

Participating venues include Café Bar Pilotů, Kino Pilotů, Café Sladkovský, Jam and Co., Bad Flash Bar – Krymská, Ansámbl, Café V lese, K7, Ellis Bar, BAR v Krymský, Le Caveau pekarna Krymska, GaleriePiva.cz, and Petra Chocholová.

In Czech, Krymská means Crimea, the region of Ukraine that has been occupied by Russia since 2014.

On March 3 at 7 p.m., Globe Bookstore and Cafe will host an event called Borscht for Bullets to raise money for the Ukrainian Army. The cafe will be giving out free bowls of Ukrainian Borscht to all attendees in exchange for a donation, and also donating half of all sales.

The owners of Prague pub Červený Jelen will also be donating CZK 10 from every meal, coffee, dessert, and drink sold to the efforts in Ukraine.

On Saturday, March 5, more than 40 microbreweries from all over the Czech Republic will gather as part of the Drink for Ukraine charity festival, March 5, at 11 am in the Prague Congress Center.

Czech microbreweries will donate more than 100 types of beer to the event and all proceeds from the sale will go to the non-profit organization People in Need to help people affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

Breweries such as Zichovec, Raven, Chroust, Wild Creatures, Matuška, Vinohradský pivovar, and Clock, serve up their best IPAs, stout, top-fermented ales, and fruit beers at the festival. Admission is free.

Vinohrady Indonesian restaurant Javanka and Co. are currently offering vegetarian and vegan versions of Ukrainian halpuki, to support their Ukrainian staff. For those who simply want to support the Ukrainian community in Prague and enjoy traditional cuisine, visit The Borsch Ukrainian bistro in Vinohrady.