(NewsNation) — When war broke out in their country, Ukrainian cafe owners pivoted from making American-style fare like pizza and burgers to baking bread for Ukraine troops and citizens in need.

Alina Mishkur’s parents own the cafe, and she left her job as a lawyer to help them out when one “crazy man,” as she calls Russian President Vladimir Putin, attacked Ukraine.

“Every day from the mornings to nights we bake bread,” she said. “We do it for our defenders, we [a] have local defense division…. and we also do it for the population.”

Those who can pay do, and for those who can’t, Mishkur and her parents give them the bread for free.

“[It’s] our part in this crazy war,” she said.

For Ukrainians, Mishkur said, bread isn’t just food.

“Bread is a symbol of life,” she said.

To raise soldiers’ spirits, they make dishes and even cookies with Ukraine’s national colors, blue and yellow, on them.

During the first days of the Russia-Ukraine War, it was hard to access some ingredients. But people started to bring the products the cafe didn’t have.

“It shows how much we are supported nowadays,” Mishkur said. Even after getting the ingredients they needed, people still continued to bring the cafe supplies, she added.

“We’re very much united now,” Mishkur said. “And so we support each other as much as we can, with everything that we have.”

Mishkur knows the situation in Ukraine is dangerous. For now, though, she and her family have decided to stay.

“We believe in our country, we believe in our people,” she said. “We are sure of the return, we have no doubt of that. Because we lived on our land and we didn’t interfere anywhere. And unfortunately, one day, our lives were totally changed.”

With more than 100 children killed in the conflict, and millions who’ve left the country, Mishkur urged Americans to ask their government to give Ukraine more assistance.

“We shall stay here and we shall keep on supporting our soldiers with our bread, the least we can do,” Mishkur said. “Maybe there will be some more assistance [necessary] and we shall provide it. But we are also asking you to keep us supporting us and keep on pushing your governments to provide more assistance.”