Special to Iredell Free News

Thanks to two successful fundraising days this week, The Barcelona Burger & Beer Garden and Aliño Pizzeria will donate $71,861 to World Central Kitchen to help relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees.

The total includes all revenue from The Barcelona Burger on Tuesday, March 8, all revenue from Aliño Pizzeria on Wednesday, March 9, a matching gift from the restaurants, and a $5,000 gift from a friend of the restaurants.

“The message this week was, ‘Buy a good meal and help Ukrainian refugees.’ And many, many people came through,” said Michal Bay, owner of both restaurants.

A non-profit founded by Chef José Andrés in 2010, World Central Kitchen is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises while working to build resilient food systems with locally led solutions. The WCK team is serving fresh meals to refugees in Ukraine, Poland, and Romania fleeing the war, and will expand efforts into Moldova and Hungary.

“We’re so grateful to our customers for stepping up,” Bay said. “We are just one community, but we can accomplish so much for others.”

Both restaurants are located at Merino Mill, 500 S. Main Street in Mooresville.

Aliño Pizzeria is known for Neapolitan-style pizza made from the best ingredients, prepared simply. In September, Delish named Aliño as “The Pizzeria Everyone is Obsessed with In Your State.” The Barcelona Burger & Beer Garden serves up the best cheeseburger in North Carolina, according to MSN.com.