A beloved Park Slope Turkish restaurant is hosting a pair of brunch fundraisers to raise money for the victims of the devastating earthquakes that rocked Turkey.
Rana Fifteen, on Fourth Avenue and Union Street, will donate 100% of profits from their brunch on Saturday and Sunday, with funds aiming to help those struggling after the horrific disasters.
The devastating 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that impacted Turkey and Syria on Monday have already left 20,000 people dead, thousands injured and destroyed 6,444 buildings across 10 provinces of Turkey alone.
Countless people lost their homes in freezing conditions — and while governments around the world and the U.N. have offered aid and rescuers to assist efforts, some Brooklynites want to help too.
“When I first heard what happened, I was devastated and I kept wondering how are they going to survive?” said Ahmet Kiranbay, co-owner of Rana Fifteen, who’s originally from Izmir, Turkey. “Over there, it’s not like New York. It’s all old buildings, historical places.
“That part of the country [southeast] is mostly a farming area where families commonly live together in one household, with kids and grandparents so they don’t have many places to go.”
The money raised through the weekend will be donated to the Bridge to Turkiye Earthquake Relief Fund, a community-based development focused organization established in 2003 by Turkish American volunteers.
The fund has published daily updates of donations received and relief operations in place that include sheltering, food, water and medical both for helping volunteers at the impacted sites and those who have been rescued.
“They’re digging with their own hands because they don’t have enough machinery and they need as much help as they can get,” said Kiranbay. “I put myself in their position and I can’t imagine how I would feel and what I would do if my loved ones were missing. My brother felt the earthquake and said it was very long, strong and scary.”
Kiranbay says he has been receiving a lot of support from his regular customers since the news broke earlier this week.
Brunch will be composed of fifteen dishes, including eggs, pancakes, sides, fresh fruit, jams and more.
“Eating Turkish breakfast heals broken hearts,” said Kiranbay. “It makes people have conversations that could fix the economy. It’s food that opens people’s hearts.”
Service will go from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.. The restaurant will cover all food and labor costs. Tickets are $50 per person.
