NEW YORK, Oct. 21 – An iconic New York restaurant will hold a community event on Wednesday to raise money for Ukrainian refugees that have fled the war, the Ukrainian Habitat Fund (UHF) said on Friday.

UHF, which will co-host the event, seeks to alleviate the fastest growing refugee crisis in recent history with millions of Ukrainians fleeing the country after the Russian invasion on February 24.

The event will be held at the iconic Veselka restaurant, located in the Little Ukraine area of the East Village in NYC. “It will be an opportunity for the community to come together to raise awareness and the funds necessary to support refugees by giving them access to critical resources, most importantly housing,” UHF said in a press release.

Edward Mermelstein, Commissioner of International Affairs, Office of the Mayor, City of New York, Andrij Dobriansky, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, are expected to address the community at the event among other speakers.

Veselka, which has been serving up traditional Ukrainian food since 1954, has raised over $250,000 for Ukrainian relief efforts since the war started in February. (nr/ez)