As flooding in Pakistan continues to spread, one restaurant isn’t letting distance keep the Chapel Hill community from doing its part.
Mediterranean Deli is sponsoring a Tuesday fundraiser for Pakistani flood victims. Owner and manager of the restaurant Jamil Kadoura said all revenue from the day will go to the American Red Cross.
Kadoura said the restaurant will offer a limited menu with two meat options and two vegetarian options in addition to a selection of desserts during the fundraiser.
With an estimated one-fifth of Pakistan underwater after late July monsoons, graduate student Tehseen Thaver, who hatched the idea, said she is shocked at how little U.S. media coverage the disaster is receiving.
“Some described it as a slow tsunami and even compared it to a biblical flood,” she said.
“The devastation of this flood is greater than the combined effect of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.”
Thaver is from Karachi, Pakistan, where her family still lives. She said although her home has not been affected, many of her father’s coworkers have been displaced by the flood waters.
“There’s literally water everywhere but none to drink — one of those dark ironies,” she said.
Kadoura sponsored a similar Med Deli event in January that raised more than $16,000 for Haiti relief.
