Toronto restaurant forgoes wages to help Turkish earthquake relief effort

Polat Yapicilar’s every thought since Monday has revolved around the people of Turkey, as they deal with the horrific aftermath of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake.

The co-owner of Turkish restaurant Nevizade Kitchen + Bar in midtown Toronto has been keeping in touch with friends and family in the quake-ravaged country.

In an interview with Global News, he said he felt immediately compelled to help with relief efforts in some way.

“When it happened, eight, nine, 10 — all our income coming into the restaurant — we’re going to donate or we’re going to buy stuff to send it to Turkey. And we also talked with our staff as well [and said] ‘Okay, you don’t have to, but if you are willing to, we can send your wages as well,’” he explained.

Yapicilar said the response was overwhelming, and that he along with several others are forgoing their pay for a week to ensure much-needed supplies are sent to the nation.

“People are trying to survive in their car and there is no gas,” he said.

The biting cold has added to the many challenges search and recovery teams face, right along with those who have been displaced by the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks.

Yapicilar is calling on Canadians to not only make monetary contributions to relief efforts, but to provide items such as thermal gloves and blankets as well.

&© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.