La Mesa-based author Susan McBeth organized a fundraiser at Pushkin restaurant on April 3 that brought in nearly $10,000 in donations with all proceeds going toward humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Additionally, patrons tendered about $3,500 for the servers in tips, many of whom are from Ukraine, to pass along to their families.
McBeth said she decided to plan something that would help the business as well as overseas Ukrainians after she ran across an article which said the restaurant, which owner Ike Gazaryan named for Russian writer Alexander Pushkin, was being targeted with acts of hatred in the days just after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Gazaryan is actually Armenian, has staff from many different countries and speaks with admiration for Alexander Pushkin who was descended from a slave yet grew into recognition as a father of modern Russian literature.
“I felt it was totally unfair to target them. A lot of their staff is Ukrainian and are just everyday people living their lives. I also thought about how they were just coming out of two years of COVID with lost profits, how much business have they already lost and now they’re targets again? It’s unfair,” McBeth said.
Pushkin owner Ike Gazaryan said he was thankful everyone came out to support the restaurant and to McBeth for organizing the event.
“We had a full house, it was amazing. We have three Ukrainian servers who were there for the day, there is also one who couldn’t work that day and also our chef. They split the tips, about $3,500 with the non-Ukrainian servers since everybody was working together that day,” Gazaryan said.
McBeth said she had previously hosted an event at Pushkin and it was “excellent, with exceptional staff” and wanted patrons to meet the actual people who are connected with the invasion on Ukraine, “living this every day” with families back in Ukraine.
At Pushkin, Gazaryan said, one of his servers has a sister in the Ukrainian military so there is a lot of personal concern for her but also for the country as a whole.
No new figure to fundraising, McBeth previously organized a 2015 fundraiser to benefit Parisians after their city was the subject of a terrorist attack, among others.
“I want people to understand there are faces and stories behind everything,” McBeth said.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, McBeth said, she has taken online Spanish classes from an instructor who worked from Mexico while his girlfriend remained in Ukraine.
“Finally, two months ago, he was able to fly and be with her in Ukraine and then they had to flee. Now, he is teaching online from Bulgaria and the stories he’s telling me are heartbreaking. His girlfriend is young with an elderly grandmother who can’t travel so the question for her is: do I travel alone or stay here,” McBeth said.
Once refugees cross the border, she said, the embassy tells people “you’re on your own, you’re an evacuee” and they’re “just young people in love with no control over what is going on” without enough places to stay and no place to work.
“There’s over 3.5 million of these stories with refugees. What is this for?” McBeth asked.
Politicians are good at talking, Gazaryan said, but it is everyday people who he believes are making a difference.
“Thankfully, the United States is not located amongst other countries that are hostile. I’m really proud of the Ukrainians out there—so many people are passing through the Tijuana border. We’re actually going to donate some hot food, likely soup. There are about 1,000 people in need so we plan to go down and serve 100 at a time,” Gazaryan said.
The restaurant owner said he has already donated a bulletproof vest he purchased during the pandemic; Gazaryan made news during Black Lives Matter protests when he positioned armed guards at the shop. He said he also donated “a couple thousand” dollars last month to a Ukrainian company and said he will continue to donate to relief efforts.
“We’re going to continue to donate a portion of proceeds, not everything because we have rent and lights but as much as we can,” Gazaryan said.
Nearly 200 readers and authors worldwide participated in Sunday’s event.
