Vancouver NW Veg Potluck

## NW Veg Vancouver Potluck DATE Change: Monday, July 24, 2023. This Month Presentation: Life during WARTIME Talk By *:*** Meet sisters Marta and Oksana, founders of the Lviv Vegan Kitchen in western Ukraine. Come hear their heroic story and see photos of their inspiring life during wartime. When war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, many people understandably fled to the safety of Poland and other countries in Europe. Marta Ostrovska and her sister, Oksana Khomien did not leave the western city of Lviv. Seeing that there were no vegan options for the thousands of refugees that were travelling through Lviv, these two brave vegan women began to serve free vegan meals to people needing healthy food. Throughout the past 16 months, the Lviv Vegan Kitchen has been serving 100 to 200 free whole food vegan meals per day in the relative safety of Lviv. During this time, they have withstood intermittent bombing, 4 winter months of limited electricity, endless supply chain problems and dwindling donations but have kept the kitchen running to all those in need. It’s a particularly hard time for them now. As the war has dragged on, securing donations is a problem as is the emotional toll of operating under the harsh conditions of wartime. The blowing up of the Kahkovka Dam on June 6, 2023 has thrust more people into food insecurity as the group tries to continue to send food out of Lviv to those in need. “Blowing up the Dam was a really big deal here” says cofounder Marta Ostrovska, “it felt just like it did when the invasion first started.” On June 19, after months of relative calm, Russian drones attacked infrastructure in Lviv again. To raise awareness of the continuous need for free food in Ukraine, Marta and Oksana will be travelling through Oregon in late July enroute to speaking at the Animal Vegan Advocacy Summit in LA July 27 to 30th. Seth Tibbott, founder of Tofurky, has been a sponsor of this trip and been inspired by Marta and Oksana’s work over the past year. Check out their website, https://www.lvivvegankitchen.com/ Recommended Donation $5-20. Overview: Come for the vegan potluck at 5:30 or the program at 6:30 or both. For the potluck, please bring a plant-based (no animal products, including honey) main dish, salad, or dessert; a card listing its ingredients; and plates and utensils for your use. If you come alone, figure the amount to serve 4-6; increase the amount 4 servings for each additional person in your party/family · Time: o The potluck begins at 5:30 with a presentation beginning at 6:30. · Where: The Good Shepard Lutheran Church & Preschool 16001 NE 34th St, Vancouver, WA 98682 BYOF (bring your own food)