Charlotte baker will travel to Ukraine to help rebuild bakery invaded by Russian soldiers
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Manolo Betancur, owner of Manolo's Latin Bakery, stands in front of the pastries case at his store. Photo courtesy of Joshua Komer
Manolo Betancur, the owner of Manolo’s Bakery in east Charlotte, is returning to Eastern Europe to help a bakery in Ukraine recover from a Russian invasion.
“The bakery was destroyed by Russian bombs,” Betancur tells me.
Why it matters: Khatynka Pekarya, the bakery in Bucha, Ukraine, is in need of repairs following an invasion and brutal massacre that occurred in the city back in April.
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Zoom out: More than 300 Ukrainians were tortured and killed in Bucha, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in April.
- The massacre led to conversations among U.S. and European leaders about war crime trials against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Axios’ Dave Lawler wrote at the time.
“After they dropped their bombs, the [Russian] soldiers entered the bakery, robbed it, built a makeshift shelter and slept there,” Betancur told me.
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Zoom in: With the help of Betancur’s funds from his last trip, the bakery has been able to build a new oven.
- In a video shared with Axios that the Khatynka Pekarya baker sent to Betancur, you can see cracks in the bakery’s foundation, including one of its ovens indoors. “Renovations will hopefully begin soon,” the baker told Betancur in the video.
“This bakery will be providing bread during winter to the villages around,” Betancur said.
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Context: Betancur and Nathan Arledge, pastor of missions and community engagement at Myers Park United Methodist Church, raised nearly $1 million for a trip to Poland back in May.
- The donations went to different organizations on the ground, churches and Ukrainian businesses like this bakery in Bucha.
- Betancur will go to Ukraine in November to help the bakery and deliver more funds and letters to locals.
How it works: Starting next week, Betancur will start accepting donations for his upcoming voyage, you can drop off donations at Manolo’s Bakery at 4405 Central Ave.
- Betancur says they’ll also start selling Ukrainian flag doughnuts and cakes, with proceeds going toward the rebuilding effort.
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In the meantime: Betancur is partnering with Ukrainian-born entrepreneur George Elfond to host a panel and open conversation about the war abroad.
- “We will talk about freedom in Ukraine and how we can help our brothers and sisters defend the idea of world democracy by sharing human stories,” Betancur said.
Details: The event, called “The Freedom Conference,” will take place at Oct. 3 at 6:30pm at Myers Park United Methodist Church.