A trio of Abbotsford restaurants in the Cedar Park Shopping Plaza are joining forces to provide free lunches for 150 locals a day to aid in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Panta Sweets and Restaurant, Cedar Park Chaat House and Royal India Restaurant and Catering will begin giving out the free lunches starting on Saturday.
They are aiming to provide lunches first for: first responders, health care providers, the elderly, single mothers and the homeless.
A different item will be prepared each day, and those who are interested and qualify can call 604-756-0383. They ask that you call between 10 a.m. and noon to get on the list, but note that only 150 will be given out a day.
The food will then be prepared from noon to 1 p.m., and will be ready for pick-up between 1 and 3 p.m. A delivery option is also available, but organizers wish to limit those due to the amount of time it would take.
People picking up are asked to remain in their cars and the food will be delivered to you curb side. The pick-up location is Patna Sweets and Restaurant, which is located at #102 2580 Cedar Park Place.
Gurbir Brar, who manages Patna Sweets and Restaurant, told The News that he and the other establishments want to help those who need it in Abbotsford.
“The City of Abbotsford has given us a lot of support over the years and has been very kind and generous to our business,” he stated. “We have received lots of business from individuals, families, & organizations. We believe it is our moral duty to give back to the community when it needs it the most. It is not possible for a lot of individuals to shop for groceries and food is one of the three essentials that humans need to survive. Many individuals have lost their income as a result of COVID-19 and with the rising costs of food it only makes it more difficult. We cannot help on the front line however we can all do our fair share in duties and responsibilities in order to help out our neighbours.”
Brar said another reason why they want to provide the lunches is that it allows the restaurants to continue to employ people, both within the restaurants but also their wholesalers.
He said they may increase the amount of lunches available per day based on the demand, and that they are looking for volunteer drivers. He said to call him at 604-756-0383 if you are able to help out.
Patna Sweets has been around for over a decade, but the Brar family purchased the establishment back in May of 2016. Royal India Restaurant and Catering has been in business in Abbotsford since May 2017 and Cedar Park Chaat House has been in operation since the summer of 2019.
Here are the full details of the announcement that Brar posted on his Facebook page earlier today (March 26):
Community Lunch Program
Ensuring all Canadians have food security is extremely important in this fight against COVID-19. As a family and a community business we have made the decision to do our part in helping the residents of Abbotsford. As a family we collectively own 3 restaurants in Abbotsford. All 3 are located in the Cedar Park Shopping Plaza (across from Prospera & Rona on South Fraser Way). They are:
* Patna Sweets & Restaurant
* Cedar Park Chaat House
* Royal India Restaurant & Catering
Effective from Saturday March, 28, 2020 we will be providing 150 free lunches to residents of Abbotsford.
Please keep in mind that this free lunch offer will only operate out of Patna Sweets & Restaurant.
Please read the following guidelines carefully to benefit from our free lunch program:
WHO: We will provide individuals with a free lunch who are:
* First Responders (Police, Fire, Ambulance)
* Health care providers
* Elderly population (65+)
* Single mothers
* Homeless individuals
WHAT: A tentative menu may be as follows:
* Monday – Samosa Plate
(2 vege. samosas served with channa masala)
* Tuesday – Dal Makhni with rice
Wednesday – Aloo Mattar with rice
* Thursday – Tikki Plate
(2 Aloo tikkis served with channa masala)
* Friday – Channa Masala with rice
* Saturday – Shahi Paneer with rice
* Sunday – Mix Vege with 1 naan
Each lunch will also include 1 piece of Indian Sweet as a dessert
WHEN:
– Please call the shop at 604-756-0383
– Please call the restaurant between 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM if you require a lunch.
As a start-up initiative we will unfortunately only be able to serve the food on a first come basis as the calls come in up to the first 150 people to call.
Due to a high call volume you may experience some difficulty in connecting with us. Please try again if you are unable to connect.
– Food will be prepared between 12:00 PM-1:00 PM.
– Food will be ready for pick up between 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM only.
– Delivery can be made available to those that need it (Elderly population) however please keep in mind that it would be very difficult for us to make 150 deliveries in 2 hours.
– If needed, we can provide the lunch to you curbside outside the restaurant. We are advising people to stay in their vehicles.
WHERE:
* Food is available for pick up at our restaurant location:
* Patna Sweets & Restaurant
#102 2580 Cedar Park Place
Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 3S4
*Delivery can be made available for select individuals
WHY:
The city of Abbotsford has given us a lot of support over the years and has been very kind and generous to our business. We have received lots of business from individuals, families, & organizations. We believe it is our moral duty to give back to the community when it needs it the most. It is not possible for a lot of individuals to shop for groceries and food is one of the 3 essentials that humans need to survive. Many individuals have lost their income as a result of COVID-19 and with the rising costs of food it only makes it more difficult. We cannot help on the front line however we can all do our fair share in duties and responsibilities in order to help out our neighbors.
Sincerely,
Gurdev Singh Brar
Balwinder Singh Malhi
Jasvir Singh Malhi
Gurbir Singh Brar
Jasdeep Kaur Malhi
