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Calgary restaurant serves fundraiser for those affected by Indonesia tsunami

Kartini Castam, owner and chef of Indonesian Kitchen, cooking feast for fundraiser.
Kartini Castam, owner and chef of Indonesian Kitchen, cooking feast for fundraiser. Global News

Calgary restaurant Indonesian Kitchen is hosting a fundraiser on Monday and Tuesday to raise funds for those affected by the Tsunami that hit Indonesia on September 28.

Kartini Castam, owner and chef of Indonesian Kitchen, is cooking the Thanksgiving feast — open to anyone in Calgary — to help people in need across the world.

“Whatever I can [do to] help with the little kitchen that I have,” Castam said.
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The restaurant is serving a free buffet from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Monday and 12 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, with all the donations going to Palu, Indonesia.

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“I’m far away from home, so anything we can do, it means a lot,” Casta said. “I like to cook, so I said, well, the best thing for me is to cook and invite people to come and eat. Whatever they give is 100 per cent going towards donations.”

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia on the evening of September 28 and generated tsunami waves of more than six metres, officials said, ripping through oceanside communities.

WATCH: Indonesia village ‘wiped off the map’ after earthquake, tsunami

Click to play video: 'Indonesia village ‘wiped off the map’ after earthquake, tsunami'
Indonesia village ‘wiped off the map’ after earthquake, tsunami

The death toll, largely from the city of Palu, had risen to more than 1,900 as of Monday.

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The family-style meal is touching for Kartini’s friend Herlinda Lanto, whose family back home is dealing with the disaster.

“They just go right away with just the clothes on their body, so they need toiletries,” Lanto said. “Mostly they don’t have anything, just clothes. Our country is like that, helping each other, especially when it’s far away.”

It was the latest natural disaster to hit Indonesia, which is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

Family members of people still missing from the Indonesia earthquake and tsunami are criticizing the government’s decision to end search efforts on October 11, asking them to consult with the families.

“I remember when I had a flood in my restaurant, I felt, ‘What should I do?'” Castam said. “But at the end of the day I had insurance to cover my loss. Can you imagine people there? In the blink of an eye [everything] it’s gone.”

 

 

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