In Guilford, She's Helping Her Native Ukraine, One Loaf At A Time

GUILFORD, CT — Irina Esterlis of Guilford cried “non-stop for a week” after the Feb. 24 Russian invasion of her native Ukraine.

After a week of tears, she began to bake, in part to alleviate stress, but also “to do something to help.”

In the early days of the invasion, she said she couldn't “figure out how to help.”

“There was not much set up yet, and I felt helpless,” Dr. Esterlis, neuropsychologist, and Yale School of Medicine professor, told Patch.

“I thought baking would be a way to rapidly raise some funds, and keep me busy and feeling like I’m doing something”

But hers are not just any bakes.

Known colloquially, or at least in the U.S. as poppy seed bread, Esterlis has baked countless “loaves” of Makivnyk, a traditional Ukrainian roll of sweet yeast bread with a filling of poppy seeds.

Esterlis described the bread as Makivnyk pirog, which has taken over her kitchen. She’s lost count of how many she’s made in the past several weeks.

“I’m self-taught. My dad’s mom baked a lot. Both my grandmothers made almost everything from scratch when I was growing up. Unfortunately, once I was interested in baking, they had already passed, and I do not have recipes," the Kyiv-born mother, doctor, professor and wife, said.

"But my parents taste my recipes and tell me if they’re close to grandma’s or traditional foods. I play around to get it just right," she said.

The idea was to seek out donations to help Ukrainian citizens forced from their homes and homeland due to the war, and for other support and relief efforts. People who donated $100 got to enjoy her homemade, traditional Ukrainian bread.

“I’ve dropped off samples of the bread in people’s mailboxes around my area, and I will do more at some time soon. Mostly to spread some kindness and raise awareness,” Esterlis said. “Some people have emailed me thanking me for the bread and saying they’ve donated. People seem to want to do something, but don’t know what to do or what places to trust with a donation.”

One of her neighbors, "who got my kindness note, is paying $100 for carrot cake. People can be so wonderful."

In the weeks since she began the baking fundraising, she's asked that people donate to three specific, and well-vetted, charities:

• For general humanitarian aid to Ukrainians, Razom for Ukraine. Razom means together in Ukraine.
• For armed forces assistance in Ukraine, the National Bank of Ukraine's effort to raise money.
• For the survival of journalism and truth-telling in Ukraine, Meduza, which has been blocked in Russia.

Esterlis also has her own Poppies4Ukraine@gmail.com for people to forward donation receipts, "or figure out how to transfer cash, if they want poppy seed bread for $100 donation."

As of Wednesday, more than $6,000 had been raised by Esterlis, and she said, all costs associated with baking the breads she has borne.

Now, cash is needed for armor: bullet-proof vests, helmets

Esterlis has the names of Ukrainian civilians who are on the front lines of the war. She has the names of hospital personnel. Both groups are in need of protective clothing and equipment.

"We’re trying to raise money for protective gear for civilians who are fighting and hospital personnel who’ve not left hospitals since Feb 24," she told Patch. "We need bulletproof vests, helmets, etc. for those fighting — a lot of the volunteer fighters are not protected. I even have people’s names who need them."

She said the plan is also to use the cash to send "medical supplies directly to the hospitals in Kiev, Kharkov, and Lviv.”

And she's working on that with Ukrainian Yale colleagues.

“A group of Yalies from Ukraine, we call ourselves ‘United for Ukraine,’ is speaking with hospitals in those cities to see what they need and then figuring out how we can buy it and get it there,” Esterlis noted.

Raising money for Ukraine is a family affair

Esterlis' husband Donald Cottrill has spread the word about her bread-making and how to donate across social media.

And their daughter, Alexandra Cottrill, along with her friend Cassie Handelman, held an Ukraine relief fundraiser last weekend.

The proceeds from the event, held in front of Page's Hardware in downtown Guilford, raised $2,000 for a Romanian non-profit working with the steady stream of refugees from Ukraine and for life saving vests for civilians who are fighting.

The girls sold baked goods, and hand-made stickers from Alexandra's online sticker shop called Milk Tea Studios. Alexandra also designed stickers specifically with a Ukrainian theme, and proceeds from everything she sells will go straight toward help for Ukraine, Esterlis said.

In the US for decades, Esterlis' heart is in Ukraine now

Born in Kyiv, she and her family immigrated to the U.S. in 1989.

“I’ve not gone back since we left," Esterlis told Patch. "Most of our family came here shortly before or after we did, so our lives are here for a long time now."

While she does not have family in the Ukrainian capital city, her parents' close friends are still there. She said her father is in touch with some of them. She does have family in other cities, but they had fallen out of touch.

“I am not sure what is going on with them,” she said. “We are trying to figure out how to find them.”

Esterlis also has family in Russia.

“I am also scared for their well-being,” she shared.