This family-owned St. Francis restaurant is trying to find housing for a family of four Ukrainian refugees
In keeping with the “spirit of giving and inclusion,” Peter Burzynski and his family, owners of Polonez restaurant in St. Francis, are trying to help a family of Ukrainian refugees find a home.
Burzynski said his mother saw a Facebook post shared by a family friend and former St. Francis Police officer about a Ukrainian family of four looking for a place to stay.
The father is an Orthodox priest and the children, both girls, are 13 and 11 years old. An Orthodox church in Mequon is helping out, Burzynski said, with a parishioner putting up the family until a more permanent place can be secured.
“We thought it would help putting it on our Facebook page,” Burzynski said. “I want to help out. I’m happy to be a conduit to get information out there.”
Six landlords have reached out to Burzynski and he has gone on a few showings, but nothing has been finalized.
“We’re looking for a landlord at an affordable price for a two- to three-bedroom,” he said, adding that the main issue is a lack of current employment and references for the family.
Since the effort started, residents have offered clothes, shelf-stable food, bedding, full beds and living room furniture, and someone was thinking of donating a car, Burzynski said.
A few community groups also offered assistance including the St. Francis Lions Club, which offered a $500 credit for its annual second-hand sale, the South Milwaukee Knights of Columbus, which offered $500 toward the first rent payment, and the Ladies Auxiliary for the South Milwaukee Knights of Columbus, which will buy new bedding, bath towels and washcloths, Burzynski said.
Anyone with housing opportunities or wishing to donate can reach out to the restaurant at polonezrestaurant@gmail.com. People can also support the effort by sending money via a Venmo account set up for the family, @UkrainianRefugeeRent, which will go to rent and the security deposit.
“We had an outpouring of support,” he said. “Once we have the place, we’ll follow up with people who offered things.”
Burzynski's distant relatives also once fled a war-torn place
In addition to helping this Ukrainian family, Burzynski said the restaurant is also collecting donations for the Kosciuszko Foundation, a nonprofit started in 1925 by Stephen Mizwa with the goal of promoting “closer ties between Poland and the United States through educational, scientific and cultural exchanges,” according to the foundation’s official Facebook page.
Recently foundation President Marek Skulimowski was on the Polish/Ukrainian border helping war refugees, according to a Feb. 27 Facebook post. It’s that effort that Burzynski said motivated him to help.
“I think the story is really incredible,” he said. “I was really inspired by that.”
So far the restaurant has collected $500 through people leaving spare change, Burzynski said.
Some family history also motivated Burzynski. He said his father’s older brother, his father’s mother and her brothers were living in Wołyń, a former town in Poland at the end of World War II. Shortly after the war, the town was annexed to Ukraine and is now called Volhynia.
The family had to flee.
“They themselves had escaped from a war-torn place,” Burzynski said.
More: Photos from the candlelight vigil to honor the children killed in Ukraine
Polonez restaurant also needs some help
Polonez opened its doors in 1983. Bruzynski said the restaurant’s loyal customers and staff were able to maintain the restaurant through the pandemic with carry-out.
Now, while trying to help others, the restaurant needs some help of its own as it's been hit by the recent staffing shortage felt by many businesses. Burzynski said he needs experienced cooks or anyone with knowledge of European cuisine.
In addition to helping with the family restaurant, Burzynski is also an associate lecturer at Milwaukee Area Technical College where he teaches introductory composition and communication.
He also works with Woodland Pattern Book Center, a local literary nonprofit.
Contact Erik S. Hanley at (262) 875-9467 or erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter at @ES_Hanley.
Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: St. Francis restaurant seeks housing for Ukrainian refugee family
