“Korzhyk” biscuit workshop in Fastiv launches cooperation with the UGCC Counselling Center

The idea to open a “Korzhyk” biscuit workshop where people with disabilities can work appeared several years ago. Mykyta was trained as a baker at a professional school, but for a long time he could not find a job in his specialty.

The founders of the “Korzhyk” biscuit workshop wanted to overcome the widespread prejudice against people with disabilities who need inclusion, as they are convinced that disability is not an obstacle to living a full life in society.

Mykyta’s long-held dream of baking sweets and bringing joy to people was realized thanks to the persistence of the UGCC community led by Father Vitaliy Martsyniuk, and the support of many benefactors. Thanks to the Big Idea crowdfunding platform and Ukrainians, the community raised more than 72 thousand hryvnias for Mykyta. The rest of the money he received through a grant from the Ukrainian Educational Platform.

Mykyta’s dream

The house where Mykyta lived with his mother and sister was destroyed by a fire one day. The mother and two small children found themselves in great difficulty and turned to the local UGCC community. At that time, the family was already attending church services. Later, when Mykyta became a pastry chef, the UGCC community began to look for ways to help him realize his potential and support his family financially. “We have always adhered to the values of our community. It was love for our town (Fastiv), its culture and loyalty to the idea of unity, faith in goodness, Christian values… But the basis was always charity, mercy and compassion,” says Fr Vitaliy. It took several years of step-by-step training in responsible ministry for the pastor and his active parishioners to fully implement the ideas of the community’s social innovations. According to the priest, after completing the training, Mykyta became the center of the initiative. The idea of the “Cookies of Goodness” workshop was built around him. “We decided that we would create the conditions for him to bake cookies, and we won a grant after the training,” he adds.

Despite war and danger

When the necessary funds were finally raised through crowdfunding and the joint efforts of the community, and when everything was ready to open, the unexpected happened — the war broke out and everything stopped.

However, this did not stop the parish community from wanting to do good not only for Mykyta, but for the entire town. So, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on April 7, 2023, the inclusive “Korzhyk” biscuit workshop was opened.

A bakery that gives joy

Father Vitalii Martsyniuk says that Mykyta, a boy with Down syndrome, makes cookies and sweets for people every day “according to the algorithms of a professional pastry chef” with his own hands. “Everyone can come and see it. Mykyta is always smiling because he is an open and bright person. Creating a workplace and helping him fulfil his dream gave him the opportunity for psychological rehabilitation, skill development, and self-sufficiency, because today a person with Down syndrome can cope,” the pastor emphasizes.

At the same time, this extraordinary business experience has had a positive impact on the entire Fastiv community of the UGCC. “Healthy eating, financial literacy, the art of planning, inclusive development of abilities, and other inherent features of the ‘Korzhyk’ workshop meant that there would be something more than just business behind it,” says the pastor. Some neighbouring coffee shops have expressed a willingness to sell Mykyta’s cookies in their locations, but “Korzhyk’s” production capacity is small and not yet able to meet all the demand of this kind. Entrepreneurs understand how difficult the first months after opening a location are and know how to support Mykyta’s activities.

They do so through a desire for partnership and friendly support with product sales and in the form of consultations. “Our town is an environment where everyone is supportive. I am grateful to God for this!” Fr Vitaliy shared with us.

Desire for further development

To continue developing and scaling up their activities, the “Korzhyk” bakery team, headed by Fr. Vitaliy Martsyniuk, turned to the Counselling Center of the UGCC at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Charitable Foundation. The team of the Counselling Center held an online meeting to discuss the current state of the bakery and its current needs. At the same time, they managed to agree on further joint steps: calculating the number of new investments, assistance in finding investments to increase production capacity, since there are more people willing to buy cookies than can be baked on the existing oven. Therefore, the plan is to purchase a more powerful biscuit oven and rent new premises. The current premises are too small and are located on the second floor, which makes them virtually inaccessible to people with disabilities. Receipt of funds will also entail further cooperation, namely judicial and financial support.

Finally, we would like to inform you that the “Korzhyk” biscuit workshop is in Fastiv on Taras Shevchenko Street, to the right of the entrance to the Mashynobudivnyk stadium, on the second floor (entrance is near the “Kofein” café). Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 19:00, Sunday is a day off.

You can also support this project directly by contacting Fr. Vitaliy Martsyniuk by phone: +38 (096) 810 87 28.

Press service of the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava