By Scott Brinton
Sautéing onion scented the air in the ring-shaped main hall of St. Vladimir’s Parish Center in Uniondale last Sunday as a frenetic swirl of people moved about carrying trays full of varenyky — potato-and-cheese dumplings.
The event, one part of a three-day fundraiser for Ukraine relief, brought together volunteers from across Long Island’s Ukrainian community and beyond. The varenyky (pronounced vah-rEH-nee-key) were sold in small aluminum trays, 12 to a pack, with the goal of raising $10,000, said Halyna Fenchenko, head of the Organization for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine, 42nd Branch, on Long Island.
“We’re going to send every penny to Ukraine . . . We’re going to give to the hospitals — wounded people,” said Fenchenko, who is originally from Ternopil, a city of 215,000 in Western Ukraine.
Making of the varenyky started on Friday and Saturday with a small group of volunteers who prepared the mashed potato filling that was stuffed on Sunday inside a sturdy dough of water, egg, flour and salt and then shaped into neatly crafted half-moons before cooking. Dozens of volunteers turned out for the final stage of varenyky production March 27.
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