Malta restaurant raises money for employee's family in Ukraine

MALTA, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Nanola, a restaurant and bar in Malta, has been raising money to help one of their own. The family of one of their employees, Elvira, is in Ukraine living underground in bomb shelters during the invasion of Russian forces.

Nanola held an event on Sunday, March 20 to raise funds to help Elvira's family. The restaurant had a special breakfast and brunch menu, as well a cocktail list for the event. All the cocktails were made with Pristine Ukrainian Vodka.

"We raised over $3,000 and the day was a success that we were proud to host for Elvira and her family. We're thankful for the performers that donated their time and everyone that came and ate, drank, and participated," said Cole King, the manager at Nanola.

The restaurant is directly helping Ukraine as well. A special drink called "Peace in Ukraine" resembles the Ukrainian flag. $3 from the purchase of each drink is donated. The drink is made with Pristine Ukrainian Vodka, pineapple juice, sprite, and blue curacao.

A donation box for Ukraine is located at the front door. Ukrainian flags are also placed by the road outside the restaurant.

There is a GoFundMe set up for Elvira's family, with over $1,000 raised so far. If you would like to donate, you can visit the Meet Elvira GoFundMe page.