They opened a food truck in the Prague market, where Ukrainian women cook
The opening of the stand with refreshments in the city market was prepared by Prague and its joint-stock company Výstaviště Praha together with the Šatník endowment fund. Those interested can also buy portions of food for people whom the Wardrobe helps. The Deputy Mayor of Prague Pavel Vyhnánek (Prague Sobě), the Chairman of the Board of the Prague Exhibition Grounds Tomáš Hübl and the founder of Šatník Nora Fridrichová told the press today.
“Mostly women of working age come to us (Wardrobe) and they want to work. When we were looking for cooks for a food truck, all the Ukrainian women who were volunteers in the Wardrobe signed up. We organized an audition and the result is two ladies who cook in this Ukrainian fast food, “said Fridrichová.
The mobile restaurant in the Prague Market Hall will be open daily from 12:00 to 19:00. The menu will include borscht, vareniks and savory pancakes. Those interested can also subscribe to portions of food. Prepaid meal coupons will be distributed through the Wardrobe. According to Fridrichová, women with small children who fled to the Czech Republic from war-torn Ukraine will be invited to lunch.
Deputy Vyhnánek and the head of Výstaviště Praha Hübl called the opening of the food truck a help that other cities, city districts and organizations could follow. “Setting up a food truck is not such a complication, it is an opportunity to involve Ukrainians in work and it will help,” said Hübl.
According to Fridrichová, material assistance, which is located in the premises of the Prague Market Square, took up to 500 people a day in recent days, when the capital was struggling with an influx of refugees. Now the number of people asking for help is lower, which according to her is also related to the apartment of Ukrainians who went to Prague. The organization offers people both material assistance and job placement. According to its founder, the wardrobe plans to open a job portal for people from Ukraine in the near future.
In hall number 29 in the market, there has also been a new workplace of the labor office since April, intended for submitting and processing applications for benefits. Refugees who arrived in the Czech Republic after February 24, when Russia launched an attack on Ukraine, are entitled to a humanitarian benefit of CZK 5,000 per month.
The Prague Market in Holešovice, which is a cultural monument, has been changing recently. The public spaces between the buildings will gain a new look. Last year, the city had two houses demolished at the entrance to the complex from Jateční Street. According to Vyhnánek, the buildings were from the 1990s and did not fit into the historical appearance of the market. The capital, which owns the complex, wants to invest two to three billion crowns in its repair in the next 15 years. The area has a cultural, commercial and gastronomic function.