A popular East Bay restaurant is stepping up to help those impacted by the devastating earthquake that hit Colombia. For the owners, the disaster hits especially close to home.
On Aug. 17, popular Colombian restaurant Parche in Oakland will be raising money for earthquake relief. The restaurant will match all empanada and cocktail sales from 5 p.m. until closing, and the money is going toward local relief efforts in Colombia.
The co-owner of Parche, Paul Iglesias, was visiting one of the impacted areas just weeks ago on a culinary trip.
“It was heartbreaking to here that the actual house I was staying in for a week basically crumbled to the ground,” Iglesias said.
His parents grew up in Colombia, and Iglesias says he’s now watching communities he knows sort through the damage left behind by that devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake.
The search for survivors is becoming more desperate by the day, after the quake struck western Colombia Monday, killing hundreds and injuring thousands.
A rescue crew member saying crews have not slept as they search through the rubble of thousands of destroyed homes.
Still, there were signs of hope. A video showed a woman being pulled to safety from beneath thick concrete.
Crews also rescued a 6-month-old baby found alive, but the clock is ticking, search teams are stretched thin, and so are medical teams.
Dozens of hospitals and health clinics were damaged in the quake, leaving doctors and nurses scrambling to help those who survived.
Now, the popular East Bay restaurant is now doing its part to help those in need back in Colombia.
“The thing that we said was oh my gosh we have to do something, what are we going to do? We are in Oakland, California, but we can have an event to celebrate our culture and our community,” Iglesias said.
For Iglesias, helping the country his family calls home was both an easy and necessary decision.
“It’s because we can we should, right? I don’t know any other way and it’s my culture, it’s my parents, it’s my heritage, it’s just an extension and it’s something that’s super important,” Iglesias said.