Perogy fundraiser hit hard by Winnipeg boil water advisory

WINNIPEG – The boil water advisory has left a Winnipeg church unable to run one of its key fundraisers this week.

“We need it, we need it badly,” said Helen Allan, who runs the perogy fundraiser for St. Ivan Suchavsky Ukrainian Cathedral. “We count on our perogies to keep us open and functioning the way we do without closing our doors.”

Winnipeg was placed under a boil water advisory late Tuesday afternoon after six of 39 water samples taken in the city tested positive for E. coli.

READ MORE: Winnipeggers under boil water advisory hope for clean tests Thursday

Allan said she doesn’t want to risk using tap water to cool perogies and to boil the water first then chill it would not be practical for the volume the volunteers make.

“We had to cancel orders that came in and postpone a whole day because we feel it’s a health issue and we wouldn’t want to do anything to make someone sick,” Allan said.

She estimates lost revenue at around $1,000. The volunteers can make upwards of 3,600 perogies a day.

Mayor Brian Bowman has said the issue of compensation isn’t being discussed right now and would have to be a decision made by council.

READ MORE: Winnipeg boil water advisory: What you need to know

Allan said she feels she wouldn’t be able to persuade the mayor to offer financial help but says it would be nice.

The cathedral’s volunteers makes pergoies every Thursday and Friday and hope they can resume operations ASAP.

“It happened and it’s unfortunate and I think everyone suffered for it,” said Allan.