CHICAGO — In the heart of Chicago’s Ukrainian Village, kids know better than most the plight of a country a half-a-world away but deep within their souls. 

It’s why grade-schoolers from St. Nicholas Cathedral School arrived at Joey G’s Mac n‘ Cheese to get some tasty ice cream from owner Joey Glorioso. 

“I felt that there was a lot of unrest in the kids, probably, right? A lot of nervousness, anxiety, right?” Glorioso said. “They don’t know what’s going on. I don’t want to tell you how old I am, but I don’t even know what’s going on. So, you sometimes get a little worried and I felt bad for the kids.” 

Joey G’s has been a mainstay in Ukrainian Village for years. But in the last several weeks, he says never has he been closer to his Ukrainian-American neighbors.

Several kids arrived at the restaurant Tuesday from the now war-torn country after Russia’s invasion. 

“The principal told me she had some refugee families who came there with just their clothes on their back and their families are still back there and I said ‘wow,'” Glorioso said.

Students walked from school Tuesday afternoon and, on the way, stopped to sing for any neighborhood residents who would lend an ear. 
 
By the time they got to get some of Joey G’s ice cream, students delivered Joey’s lone request: Ukrainian flags and a few signs driving home the message. 

“You can’t find a Ukrainian flag, so I said I’ll have the kids make me one and I’ll trade them, so I traded every kid who brought in a flag a scoop of ice cream and it made their day a little better you know?” Glorioso said.

For a few moments anyway, they got to be what a kid should be: happy and worry-free. 

“Do you have a present for me?” Glorioso jokingly asked one kid with a sign-in-hand before keeping his promise of a free scoop of ice cream. “Nice doing business with you.”