ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) — When 66 Ukrainian families arrived in Elkhorn, many of them were visiting a local nonprofit's food pantry. But in Ukraine, fresh foods are a big part of their culture and now they have a place to garden.
- Nearly two years ago, 66 Ukrainian families came to Elkhorn for refuge while their country is at war.
- COPE and Bethany Lutheran Church partnered up to create a start-up garden for the Ukrainian refugees.
- We spoke to Yuliia Makarova, a Ukrainian refugee who speaks about the importance of this garden for her and her community.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
In Omaha, there are a lot of community gardens, but what makes this one special in Elkhorn is who it was made for—Ukrainian refugees, to help them feel more at home.
Nearly two years ago, 66 Ukrainian families came to Elkhorn for refuge while their country is at war.
"For us, it looks more like a safety place because, first of all, it's a little long way from the war."
Yuliia Makarova remembers leaving Ukraine when she was pregnant with her youngest, and now Omaha is starting to feel more like home.
"In Omaha, people so nice, yeah," said Makarova.
But something was missing.
Since these refugees arrived, many of them have been coming to the COPE nonprofit food pantry and getting a lot of shelf-stable items.
But in Ukraine, fresh foods and gardening are a big part of their culture.
Do you cook a lot using the produce you grow?
"Yeah, yeah," said Makarova.
So, COPE and Bethany Lutheran Church partnered up to create a start-up garden for them.
COPE received a grant to pay for it, while Bethany provided the space for it.
"It's difficult to be displaced, and you're assimilating to a new place, so hopefully this is a little bit of comfort for them while they're here," said Shannon Mauser-Suing, Bethany Lutheran Mission Coordinator.
"And like older people, they cannot work here because they're not speaking English. It's like something we can do and help each other, you know," said Makarova.
The families can come to the garden anytime they want.
And the food grown here will go right back to their community.
"We also get a chance to work with local farmers more towards the end of the summer growing season when they get some more yield and have some extra stuff," said Kymberly Englund with Bethany Lutheran Church.
It's a labor of love for these women—passionate and proud of their gardening.
One challenge still remains for these refugees: transportation to the garden. It's a gap partner organizations are working to close now that the garden is open.
