A week after the terrorist attacks in Barcelona, a Calgary restaurant that shares its name with the Spanish city held a special one-day fundraiser to support victims.
Andrew Gass, a chef and co-owner of Barcelona Tavern, said the idea to help came within minutes of the attack.
“A lot of who we know and just relationships we have people from Spain, it was immediate that this is something we had to do and we had to get on it quickly,” Gass said.
“These things are forgotten too quickly, for some reason, and [you] definitely need to do what you can to put your best foot forward.”
So Gass and his partners decided to host “A Day For Barcelona”. Proceeds from a portion of food sales on August 24 and a silent auction were raised for the Red Cross for Barcelona.
They reached out for support to groups like the Calgary Flames, Calgary Stampeders, WestJet and Hockey Canada, and the response was immediate.
“They were instantaneous on jumping on board and literally pulled this together overnight, with no questions asked,” Gass said.
Like the other sponsors, Hockey Canada provided items for a silent auction at the restaurant.
“It’s great that they can get the community rallied behind, and at Hockey Canada we’re just happy to help that cause and raise some funds for what’s going on over there, we’re happy to help,” said Bayne Pettinger of Hockey Canada.
Alex Medina, a patron of the tavern, bid on a couple of items, including a trip for two from WestJet.
“It’s a great cause, you know it’s unfortunate what’s happening around the world, and the fact that we can support that locally is a great thing,” Medina said.
“We’ve got to come together as a community and support as much as we can.”