The restaurant group that owns Oceanic, Bluewater Oceanfront Grill and Hops Supply House announced Tuesday that its month-long initiative to raise $100,000 for World Central Kitchen’s efforts in Ukraine has exceeded its goal.
 
Raleigh-based LM Restaurants reported its fundraising campaign netted $141,715 through a
variety of activities at its Carolina Ale House restaurants and its other eateries in North and South Carolina.

“At LM Restaurants, we believe hospitality is about being an army of goodness,” Lou and Joy Moshakos, who founded LM Restaurants in 1978, said in a news release. “Our LM family has a fighting spirit, and we are honored to support World Central Kitchen and their efforts in Ukraine in any way that we can. This company-wide fundraiser is our opportunity to give the gift of enduring a little bit longer, for brighter days.”

After a successful late June fundraising dinner at Vidrio restaurant in Raleigh, Lou and Joy Moshakos decided to expand the company’s fundraising efforts across 29 of their restaurants in North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. At Bluewater, guests helped raise the funds by buying a special Ukraine cocktail, of which 100% of the proceeds went to the World Central Kitchen fund. At Bluewater as well as Oceanic, Carolina Ale House and Hope Supply Co., guests were invited to add a donation to their checks. A special event on July 21 at the Oceanic raised $2,750 for the fundraising effort.

The company intends to continue hosting fundraising events into the fall, according to the release. A celebrity chef dinner is planned at Bluewater Waterfront Grill in September, of which all proceeds will go to World Central Kitchen. Details about the event will appear at lmrest.com/the-scoop.

Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) sets up kitchens on the frontlines of natural disasters and conflicts, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises while working to build resilient food systems with locally-led solutions. To date, it has served more than 70 million fresh meals to people affected by natural disasters and other crises worldwide. WCK’s Resilience Programs strengthen food and nutrition security by training chefs and school cooks, advancing clean cooking practices and awarding grants to farms, fisheries, and small food businesses while also providing educational and networking opportunities. Learn more at wck.org.