LANCASTER, N.Y. (WKBW) — Many Western New Yorkers showing their support for Ukrainians, over the last few weeks, includes a teenager who is working with a Western New York bakery.
They are using their skills in the kitchen to make a difference for people halfway around the world.
Early Bird Bakery and Cafe co-owner, Nicole Kisiel said, "I feel like the children have to be the good in the world. They're the next generation. so, to see that there's some good left, makes me happy."
Inspired by a simple Facebook post, Lancaster High School student, Brianna Forzani, is being the change she wishes to see in her community.
"Seeing all the footage from the war on social media, my heart was just left broken after I had seen all the images from the children being separated from their families, and just really struggling," Lancaster High School student, Brianna Forzani said.
The Lancaster bakery made a post about creating Ukrainian flag cookies to benefit children caught in the crisis.
"She came to me one morning at school and said she had an idea," Lancaster High School National Honor Society advisor, Lisa Grahnert-Mullen said.
Instead of feeling helpless, the high school junior decided to help sell the four-dollar cookies, in partnership with the bakery and her school's honor society.
"What I feel is my job to the National Honor Society, a club that fosters future leaders, is to take their ideas and run with it. I always encourage them, whatever they're passionate about. Come to me with it and it will help you execute your ideas," Lisa Grahnert-Mullen explained.
Kisiel shared, "Social media has a lot of negativity with it sometimes. There's bullying, there's people behind keyboards."
Bakery owner, Nicole Kiesel, wanted to good to come out of social media and to be able to help. Baking cookies was her way of helping.
"Me and my mom decided that we can help, so we decided that were going to make cookies and the proceeds were going to go to help the children in Ukraine. So, we decided to partner with the Save The Children Organization," Kiesel said. "It was nice to see some good in the world. Somebody else wanted to do something good along with us, and being that she's 16 years old and has this head on her shoulders. She knows what she wants to do. She fought for it. She went about the right way. I'm just really happy to be a part of it."
Forzani said, "I truly feel like everybody can do something, even when it seems unattainable. That's what my goal was."
More than $1,600 have been raised.
The proceeds will go to the Save the Children.
