A popular Etobicoke restaurant that was raising money for humanitarian aid in war-torn Ukraine says more than $2,000 worth of donations were stolen.
“We didn’t think this would happen. We didn’t think about tying the boxes to the table or mounting them or anything like that because we didn’t think people would actually do that,” Tetiana Barilko told CTV News Toronto on Friday morning.
Barylko and her family are originally from Ukraine and own Barrel House Korchma, a Ukrainian restaurant that just celebrated its one year anniversary.
The Mimico restaurant has become a hit among Etobicoke’s large but close-knit Ukrainian community during that time and, Barylko explained, their fundraising efforts have been well received.
“Our customers are very generous when it comes to donations,” she said.
But things took a turn Thursday around 11:30 a.m. That’s when Barilko said a man walked into the restaurant and asked to buy takeout containers. The only server working at the time processed the transaction and went to the kitchen to retrieve the items.
When the server returned, the man was nowhere to be seen, nor were the donation boxes.
In surveillance video provided to CTV News Toronto, the unidentified man appears to place one of the full donation boxes into his bag when the employee is out of sight. As he prepares to leave the restaurant with donations in hand, he appears to turn back and grab another box full of donations.
“It feels disgusting,” Barilko said after watching the video. “Who would take money meant to be donated to people in Ukraine for humanitarian aid, like children who lost their parents in the war?”
After consulting with his parents, Barilko estimated that more than $2,000 in cash donations were stolen.
Toronto police confirmed to CTV News Toronto that they received a report related to the theft, but have not yet assigned an investigator to the case.
The war in Ukraine has been raging since February 24, after Russia invaded the country after years of aggression.
Barilko and her family have been outspoken in their support for their home country since the beginning. Barylko’s father served in the Ukrainian military and used his existing connections to bring supplies and humanitarian aid directly to the people who needed them most.
However, their support for Ukraine is not without problems. In addition to the alleged theft, Barylko said the Ukrainian flags that fly outside their establishment have been torn at least twice, an occurrence that is unfortunately not unique to the Mimico restaurant.
“We feel like we’re constantly being denied help,” Barilko said.
However, and while the family waits for an investigation into the theft, Barilko is adamant that the incident will not stop her and her family from supporting their homeland.
“This is not going to stop us. We will continue to collect donations. This will not silence us. It will just make us stronger,” she said.
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