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Family restaurant to hold Saturday fundraiser for Beirut blast

Wrap and Roll will donate all sales to victims of blast
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Omar Aziz, centre, with mom Fatima Aziz, are opening their Wrap and Roll store at 1885 Fort St. from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday to raise money for the victims of the Beirut explosion. (Travis Paterson/News Staff)

The Wrap and Roll restaurant on Fort Street across from the Royal Jubilee Hospital is popular for its falafel and shawarma wraps.

The popular kitchen is not open on Saturdays to give owners Mohammed and Fatima Aziz a break. But they’ll be open this Saturday, Aug. 8, with all proceeds going to support victims and victim families of the devastating Beirut explosion in Lebanon on Tuesday.

“They need a lot of help. It’s sad,” said Omar, son of Mohammed and Fatima. “I have friends there who have been through wars, civil war, and the Israeli war, and they have not been as affected as they have with this blast.”

READ ALSO: Searchers in Beirut recover more bodies, days after blast

The restaurant was buzzing for the Friday lunch rush – a revolving door of patrons who work in the area and tradespeople who make a point to stop by.

Omar explained that the way Lebanon works, a lot of people commute into Beirut to work. So when the blast happened, it affected a lot more than just Beirut.

“When I saw [the explosion] I was shocked,” Omar said. “You don’t expect that kind of stuff to happen. With COVID, the country was already in really bad shape. This blast is basically salt on the wounds.”

READ MORE: ‘I didn’t want to die,’ Beirut resident recalls moments after blast

One man from Mohammed’s village Ketermaya was working as a security guard in Beirut when he was killed. And there are dozens more stories like that, Omar said.

reporter@oakbaynews.com


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