South Jordan restaurant donates day's sales to Nepal disaster relief fund

SOUTH JORDAN — As Nepal faces mounting devastation from deadly flooding and a new earthquake, a South Jordan restaurant is stepping up to help.

Bawarchi owner Prkash Shah pledged to donate 100% of the restaurant's sales Tuesday to Nepal's Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund, giving Utahns an opportunity to support those affected while enjoying a meal.

The fundraiser comes as Nepal continues to recover from catastrophic flash floods that have killed more than 1,300 people, with thousands more still reported missing. A new earthquake struck the region Tuesday, compounding challenges for rescue crews and survivors.

For Shah, the tragedy is deeply personal.

"I have family over there," he said.

Shah said watching footage of the destruction has been difficult.

"I think it is very surreal, to say the least," he said. "It was almost like a scene from an epic fiction movie."

Customers throughout the day said they were eager to support the effort.

Miranda Westman stopped by Bawarchi to pick up lunch and said helping others was an easy decision.

"We thought, why not do a lunch today that's going to help some people in need?" Westman said.

Like many others, she has followed coverage of the disaster from afar.

"It's kind of unbelievable," she said. "You see the before-and-after pictures of different areas that had schools or villages or towns, and they're just gone."

Shah said he has already made a personal donation but wanted to do more.

"I donated personally, but if I can do more, then why not?" he said.

Gajushre Stha, who has immediate family in Nepal, said his loved ones were not harmed. Still, he said the devastation has affected the entire country.

"The whole country is my family, you know," Stha said. "So it's heartbreaking."

The restaurant also planned live music as part of the fundraising event and encouraged community members to contribute, even if they could not stay for a meal.

Owners said donations would continue to be accepted throughout the event, with all proceeds benefiting relief efforts in Nepal.

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