Approximately two dozen people braved the wind and cold to help raise funds to aid Ukrainians in need at The Great Ukrainian Cookie Run. The 5K run/walk was held along the D&L Trail at the Carbon County Parking Lot in Jim Thorpe on Friday.

Susan Gallagher, co-coordinator, said, “We heard that the Ukrainian Homestead was making cookies. I thought, we can buy a bunch of these cookies, resell them, and make people work for them. It’s a 5K, a run or a walk. We have beautiful trails in the area. People can go for a walk, go for a run, get a cookie, and make a donation.”

Debbie Molinar donated an original acrylic painting of sunflowers, which have come to symbolize Ukraine. The painting was raffled off in a free drawing among the participants.

“I am thrilled to be involved in The Great Ukrainian Cookie Run because it’s an important world event that involved all of us,” Co-coordinator Rachel Taras said. “There are people fighting for their lives every single day in Ukraine. I happen to have ancestors that came to this country. They were very, very proud to be Americans. My Grandfather kept a tight hold onto his Ukrainian roots and his pride. He specifically would talk about the struggles that his family suffered, how being in the United States gave him democracy and freedom and liberty. To me, it’s like déjà vu or (like the movie) Groundhog Day, that I’m seeing the very same things happen on television every single day.”

Each participant received a Ukrainian flag and a Ukrainian Cookie. The cookies are being sold by the Ukrainian Homestead in Lehighton, and are baked by Maria Prociuk.

“Consider yourself lucky,” Gallagher added. “It’s cold and it’s windy, but there are no bombs coming down; we all have our homes to go home to. We should be grateful for that and do what we can to help those who are less fortunate.”

Proceeds benefit the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee. To make a donation, got to https://bit.ly/3NIhQ7M