A community fundraiser held in Downtown Windsor on Tuesday evening aimed to raise funds to support Nepal after a devastating flash-flood over the summer. People poured into the Hakka Khazana Restaurant on Wyandotte Street West, where $19 from each $30 meal will be donated to disaster relief. Anupama Banskota, a Nepali-Canadian, organized the fundraiser as a way to support the country she was born in. “So people there lost lots of their loved ones, and this is just a small gesture,” Banskota told CTV News. Officials have confirmed more than 1,400 people died and thousands more are still missing after a chaotic flash flood on Aug. 26 in a region near the China-Nepal border. Touched emotionally by the disaster, Banskota said she felt a desire to provide for the Nepali community and raised more than $1,600 prior to Tuesday’s fundraiser. “It’s important because I, I did belong to that country once upon a time. Canada has given me the best life, but I did belong to that country. I was born there; I was raised there. So it means a lot. That’s my root,” said Banksota. While her immediate family is okay, Banskota has heard from friends and extended family members who have lost loved ones. The fundraiser filled tables at the downtown restaurant where people from all backgrounds showed up in support. “Not [just] my community, but all my other communities, like Italian, Polish, the Canadians, they all care for me, Arabs, they all care for [Nepal],” Banskota said. The idea came from Sajjan Aryal, another Nepali-Canadian living in Windsor, who is hopeful the funds raised can help with the massive rebuilding process that now lies ahead for affected communities. “This is not a short-term thing. This is going to be a long, long time. There has to be a rebuild process that’s going to be long-term,” Aryal said. Funds raised will go directly to the Nepal Prime Minister Disaster Fund. Organizers hoped to raise upwards of $6,000. Though the dollar figure may seem small, Aryal said they will go a long way towards supporting those suffering across the world. “It means a lot. The country is in the initial few phases of, you know, rehabilitation of those who are affected by the floods, and that’s the primary need,” he said. Organizers chose the Hakka Khazan restaurant because of its ties to the Nepali community. Nepali co-owners Dibesh Regmi and Bigyan Sapkota told CTV News they felt a need to support in any way they could. “It’s really heartbreaking. I can’t imagine being in that situation; it must have been tough, and that’s why we really want to help them,” Regmi said. As people continued to walk through the restaurant’s front doors throughout the night, the owners said it was a sign of Canada’s multiculturalism and the shared responsibility to help where possible. “The love and support we’ve seen from the Windsor community is exceptional,” said Sapkota, adding they were appreciative of all the support for Nepal. Organizers encouraged residents who didn’t attend the fundraiser but still want to show their support to do so online through the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.
