Local resident comes up with idea to feed Ukrainians

  Mark Bernstein has been waking up each morning to news of the war in Ukraine. A little more than a week ago, it occurred to him that he could do a little thing to help a little: I got in touch with a pizza place in Kharkiv and ordered 10 pizzas for a bomb shelter.

  In the next day or two, Bernstein and friend J. Scott Johnson built pizzaForUkraine.com, a website where anyone can order a pizza for Kharkiv bomb shelters, emergency rooms, fire houses and police stations. “We batch the orders and send them each day to two Kharkiv pizza places,” said Bernstein. “More than 100 donors have come forward – many from Malden, but some from Australia, Malaysia, England and Germany. It’s all volunteer, and very simple.”

  Bernstein cited the courage of the pizza crews as an inspiration. “Kharkiv is about 25 miles from the border,” he said. “Bombs, rockets and shells fall day and night. Hot pizza isn’t much, but it’s not nothing. It’s an honor to be able to help a little.”

  According to the website, 273 pizzas have been delivered.