Hope family who offered free food to motorists stranded by mudslides receives praise
Posted November 25, 2021 6:21 am.
Last Updated November 25, 2021 6:32 am.
The family behind a small pizza business in Hope who offered stranded travellers and motorists free food during this month’s devastating floods has gotten a lot of help themselves, in the form of donations and praise from across British Columbia.
When a mudslide blocked off Highway 7 near that community last week, hundreds of people were left stranded in their cars, many with only the clothes on their backs and no food.
That’s when Akshay Davesar and his family decided to lend a helping hand, using the supplies at their family business, Hope Pizza Place, to make food for those who were stuck.
“We noticed there were a few people parked in a parking lot because all the highways were closed. We felt bad and thought we can offer them some tea and some garlic bread because that was the only thing we thought of that we could make on the gas stove,” he said. “From there the word started spreading.”
The family behind Hope Pizza Place. Parents Dewan and Rupinder Davesar along with their children run the business and have been helping feed hundreds of people stuck in the area due to the highway closures – and refused any payment. @CityNewsVAN #HopePizzaPlace #BCStorm pic.twitter.com/bG7PXCxZC3
— Tarnjit Kaur Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) November 16, 2021
With many of the local businesses closed and most of Hope dealing with a massive power outage caused by the storm, Davesar says his family did what it could to help, offering people food while refusing any form of payment.
In the days that followed, Davesar says he and his loved ones were receiving calls from people across the country, thanking them for their help. The even got a shout out from Premier John Horgan for their efforts.
One of many examples of British Columbians at their best and helping others through this emergency. We will get through this by continuing to work together. https://t.co/3hmRpe9oAR
— John Horgan (@jjhorgan) November 16, 2021
“It’s been crazy to see online how many people are appreciative of this, the response is so overwhelming. We got people from Calgary to Vancouver Island and over from Saskatchewan asking if they can send over money for donations,” recalled Davesar.
But with limited supplies, the Davesars eventually ran out of food to offer. That’s when they were approached by Ron Basra, a REMAX real estate agent from Vancouver.
Basra was offering to buy the family supplies so they could continue to cook for people who were stranded. He was able to get them the supplies via helicopter.
“He said he was willing to send out a helicopter and he was able to drive down to the food suppliers we usually go to, and picked everything up and flew it over,” Davesar explained.
“The first time he just sent us the cheese that we needed, and he also paid for that. And then he came over the second time and gave us the supplies that we requested.”
A little bit of kindness goes a long way. The owners of Hope Pizza Place served hot tea and toast to those stuck in their cars due to power outages and mudslides closing the highway. @CityNewsVAN #BCStorm pic.twitter.com/hcTYDNswk2
— Tarnjit Kaur Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) November 15, 2021
Speaking to CityNews Vancouver, Basra says he and other realtors across the province watched in horror the devastation caused by the floods and wanted to do something to help.
He says the efforts of the Davesar family caught his attention, prompting him to reach out to ask if there was anything he could do to support them.
“I just got told they were giving out free pizzas and I just called him to say thank you for what you’re doing. They told me they didn’t have any more cheese to make the pizza,” Basra said. “We moved quickly and got our first flight out there. In total, we ended up with 46 flights of 600 pounds of foods and supply for impacted communities.”
He says it’s part of an effort by B.C.’s realtors to provide relief to those dealing with the aftermath of the floods.
Realtor Ron Basra helped the family behind Hope Pizza by delivering supplies during the floods by helicopter. The Davesar family had been offering free food to people stranded by floods and mudslides in B.C. (Submitted by Ron Basra)
“We’re compensating the pilots who flew out the supplies for their fuel. Our fuel bill looks like it’s going to be $30,000 so we’re going to have to fundraise that through realtors,” he said. “There were 46 total flights that went out since this initiative started last Wednesday morning.”
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Basra adds that cost can be made up, with the effects of these donations will make a difference to impacted communities.
As for the Davesar family, Akshay says over the last week they’ve gotten around $3,000 in donations from across the province – and plenty of messages online thanking them for the service to their community.
“We’re still getting a lot of messages on Facebook, from people even out of the province for thanking us for what we’ve done for the people that were stranded here.”
