On Thursday, February 24th Russian forces attacked the sovereign nation of Ukraine, firing missiles at multiple cities in the neighboring country, including the capital city of Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the attack a โspecial military operationโ for the โdemilitarization and de-Nazificationโ of Ukraine, whose president is Jewish. It is, in short, a horrendous act that has already killed hundreds.
Following the invasion, people worldwide have decried the act. Famous Russian athletes and celebrities have risked their livelihoods to come out against the acts of their countryโs leader, and thousands gather to protest in Saint Petersburg. Erstwhile, many Ukrainians are fleeing their country on foot or being conscripted into service to protect their homeland. It is a dire situation, with the people of Ukraineโmany of them children and familiesโneeding aid.
Now coffee is getting into the act. To help, Irelandโs Cloud Picker Coffee has put together a fairly sizable raffle with all the funds raised going to UNICEF Ireland to help getting vital aid to Ukrainians in need during the crisis.
Having already raised โฌ742.50 from a previous fundraiser that will be rerouted to UNICEF, the Dublin cafe and roastery is taking a new approach to raising funds: a multi-tiered raffle. A total of three prizes will be awarded, with ticket prices varying by reward. โฌ10 will get you entered to win a tailored home barista course for two by 2018 Irish Barista Champion and 2013 Irish Cup Tasters Champion Arvind Khedun (โฌ500 value). โฌ25 will earn you a chance to take home a Sage Barista Pro espresso machine along with 1kg of Cloud Pickerโs Henry blend (โฌ800 value).
But the grand prize is a doozy. For โฌ250, you could win a brand-new Victoria Arduino White Eagle Digit two-group espresso machine, delivered anywhere in the EU and UK, along with 5kg of the Henry blend (โฌ8,000 value).
The raffle is open to anyone in Europe. In the first 36 hours, the raffle has already netted over โฌ11,000 to go to UNICEF to provide support to โchildren and families caught in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.โ
And Cloud Picker is taking it one step further. In a recent Instagram post, the company announced they are offering two plane tickets to all Ukrainian coffee professionals who have escaped to Poland to fly to Dublin and work in their cafe or roastery.
Cloud Picker is stepping up in a big way to help those whose lives have been upturned by conflict. With their raffle, they have created an avenue for others in Europe to do the same (and maybe get rewarded for their gesture). For more information or to enter the raffle, visit Cloud Picker Coffeeโs official website.
Zac Cadwaladerย is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas.ย Read more Zac Cadwaladerย on Sprudge.
