Jackson Heights Restaurant Namaste Tasi Delek Donates 10% of Momo Crawl Sales to Nepal Flood Relief
Mohan Baruwal, owner of Namaste Tasi Delek Restaurant & Bar, holds an announcement stating that the restaurant will donate 10% of its Momo Crawl sales to support flood-relief efforts in Nepal. Photo: NepYork
JACKSON HEIGHTS, Queens, New York — Namaste Tasi Delek Restaurant & Bar donated 10% of its Momo Crawl sales — $500 of its total $5,000 in sales — directly to the Government of Nepal’s Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund to support flood-relief efforts as thousands of food lovers, community members and visitors gathered Sunday for the 14th annual Momo Crawl and Block Party in Jackson Heights.
The restaurant contributed 10% of the proceeds from the momos it sold during the Sept. 13 event to support relief and recovery efforts for flood victims in Nepal, according to the business.
Mohan Baruwal, owner of Namaste Tasi Delek Restaurant & Bar, said the donation was a small way for the restaurant to stand with Nepal during a time of crisis.
“We were able to make a small contribution at a time when Nepal is facing a disaster. We stand with Nepal,” Baruwal said. “During this year’s Momo Crawl, Namaste Tasi Delek donated 10% of the money from momo sales to support flood victims in Nepal. Regardless of whether the amount is large or small, this is a small message of solidarity from us to our homeland. In this time of crisis, we will always stand with Nepal and the Nepali people.”
The donation added a charitable element to one of Jackson Heights’ largest annual food and cultural celebrations, which brought together more than 30 Tibetan, Nepali and other Himalayan restaurants and vendors.
More than 2,000 Momo Crawl passports were sold online before the event, and hundreds more were sold in person Sunday, according to organizers. The turnout filled Diversity Plaza and nearby streets, including 37th Road between 74th and 75th streets.
The event began at noon and featured momo sales, cultural performances and other activities celebrating Himalayan food and culture. Passport holders visited participating vendors, purchased individual momos for $1 and voted for their favorite restaurant in the Momo Championship Belt competition.
Regular passports cost $15. A limited-edition $60 passport, which included express-line access at select vendors, a Momo Crawl T-shirt and a traditional Tibetan scarf, or khatag, sold out before the event. The first 100 crawlers also received a free khatag.
Baruwal said the event had been particularly strong for participating businesses and provided Nepali momo businesses with both cultural and commercial benefits.
“It is an opportunity to do business for Nepali momo businesses. It helps make people aware of momo, and it is also business. It is both,” he said.
Namaste Tasi Delek, at 37-66 74th St., serves Tibetan and Nepali cuisine and features momos among its signature offerings.
The annual celebration also featured live music, dance and other cultural performances by local artists and community groups. For vendors and attendees, the Momo Crawl offered a showcase for momo as both a popular Himalayan dish and a vehicle for sharing Nepali and Tibetan culture with New York’s diverse communities.
The event also came as Nepal continued search, rescue and relief operations following catastrophic flooding that began Aug. 26. The disaster particularly affected communities along the Bhote Koshi River and areas of Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Chitwan, Tanahun and Nawalparasi.
As of Sept. 14, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported that 1,395 bodies had been recovered and 5,130 people remained missing.
The flooding damaged homes, roads, bridges, hydropower facilities and other essential infrastructure, leaving authorities and relief organizations continuing efforts to locate missing people, provide medical care and assist displaced families.