BERLIN– A local business raised more than $1,400 for a medical battalion in Ukraine with a day of baking.
Sconer, the popular Berlin Farmers Market vendor, will be donating more than $1,400 to Hospitallers, a medical battalion operating on the front lines in Ukraine, following a fundraiser Monday. Ryan Nellans, the Berlin baker behind Sconer, is thrilled with the community support and said he just wanted to do what he could for the people in Ukraine.
“My family has a strong military background,” he said. “It was eating me up I couldn’t do something.”
That desire to help found an outlet Sunday when Nellans saw a post on Reddit from a Canadian baker who shared his plans to donate a day of sales to Ukrainian causes. Nellans researched the aid organizations in need of financial support and opted to donate to Hospitallers, as quick treatment for those with traumatic injuries is critical.
“People can suffer long term effects if not treated immediately,” he said.
Nellans announced at noon on Sunday on his Sconer social media pages that he would donate 100% of Monday’s scone sales to the Hospitallers medical battalion. In less than 24 hours, he had more than 50 orders and said he would be able to donate $1,400. He also had five dozen eggs donated by Masterpiece Flowers and an offer of baking help from two volunteers.
Nellans noted that some of the people who supported his fundraiser wouldn’t even be receiving the scones they paid for themselves.
“Over a dozen batches were bought by people out of the area who asked that I donate the scones to local services, such as police, fire fighters and hospital workers,” he said.
Scone sales from Monday will go to a medical battalion in Ukraine.
Nellans said he was happy with the fundraiser’s results and was glad being a cottage food business—a small home based business that produces in a residential kitchen—allowed him to do it.
“This is the kind of thing the cottage industry laws are made for,” he said.
Ivy Wells, Berlin’s economic and community development director, praised the fundraiser’s success.
“I love the support our community gives to our businesses,” she said.
