Portland Observer, November 21, 1984, Page 3
WATCH A VIDEO
MOVIE
3<
METROPOLITAN
Restaurant benefit fights African famine
> by Robert Lothian
y
; Nearly 200 people attended a
■ benefit dinner for starving Ethi-
-iopians at Jarra's Ethiopian Restau
rant Sunday.
For a SIO donation they were
served an Ethiopian meal of mild or
hot chicken, “ Dora W at,” or beef,
"Zigone," split lentils, mixed vege
tables, tomato salad and "In je ra ,"
Ethiopian bread.
Jarra's owners, Petros Jarra and
his wife Aina Sultessa, said the mo
ney raised will be channeled through
the Red Cross and a church for dis
tribution to Ethiopian communities.
"What we saw on TV was shock
ing and depressing," said Sultessa,
29, who came to the U.S. in 1978 to
study nursing.
“ We are much better o ff here,”
said Petros Jarra, 39, a former busi
ness student at Walla Walla College
who came to the U.S. ten years ago.
" W e thought we could do more
than just send a few checks," he
said.
The couple said they wanted to
organize an event than would in
volve the community and also pull
together significant help for Ethi
opia.
All food and beverages for the
dinner were donated, said Jarra,
and restaurant employees, custom
ers and members of Portland’s
Ethiopian
community
volun
teered as waiters and waitresses.
Jarra*« restaurant owner« Patroa Jarra and Aina Sultessa. take
time out during their Ethiopian benefit dinner Sunday in South
east Portland.
(Photo: Kris Altucher)
Waiter Bruce Borquist, a former
peace corps volunteer in Ghana,
said he was “ just a faithful custom
er" who wanted to help.
" It just seemed like a good thing
to d o ," said Sherrill Bower, who
came from Eugene with her friends
Becky Wilson and Emmanuel Men-
aekis.
"There is something ironic about
sitting in front of beautiful plates of
food............ and thinking that we're
doing something," said Mcneakis.
"There needs to be more thought
about the way food and power are
distributed in the world,” he said.
People who want to help but who
were unable to attend ihe dinner can
send checks to the downtown
branch of the U.S. bank payable to
“ Jarra’s benefit dinner for starving
Ethiopians," said Jarra.
The couple comes from ihe town
of Kuyera Shashamanne, about 100
miles south o f Ethiopia's capital,
Addis Ababa. "The area we know,
especially near where I was born."
said Jarra, "is something like Ore
gon," with mountains, lakes and
evergreen trees. Most of thecoun-
YWCA holds
holiday bazaar
Herb Cawthorne addresses fasters at the Food Bank's celebrity
no-food lunch.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
Fasters raise funds
by Robert Lothian
Some o f Portland's important
people sat at tables set with silver
ware and linen Thursday, but rather
than eat, those present filled their
plates with thoughts o f starving
people.
The Celebrity Fast no-food lunch
at the Portland Building attracted
attention to the Interagency Food
Bank's seventh annual Fast for the
Hungry.
The Food Bank is asking People
to fast for a day during the holiday
season and then donate the money
saved to the agency. Africa is the
focus of this year's campaign. Ten
percent o f donations toward the
Food Bank's goal of $30,000 will go
to Oxfam America for famine relief
in Ethiopia and other African coun
tries. Oxfam is the national sponsor
of the Fast for the Hungry.
The remainder of the donations
will go to help hungry people local
ly. The Food Bank donated over
3,600,000 lbs of food to 144 Port
land agencies in 1983-84.
Present Thursday were Sigrid
C lark, wife of the mayor-elect,
Doug Rogers of the Interagency
Food Bank, Herb Cawthoine, Mike
Lindberg, Gladys McCoy, State
Senator Margie Hendriksen. Jona
than Nicholas and a special appear
ance by folksingers Peter, Paul and
Mary.
Waiters and waitresses took sym
bolic orders from celebrity fasters
reading from Portland restaurant
menus. Then the fasters forked
over the amount they would have
paid for the lunch. Over $1,000 was
raised.
Valera Washburn, executive d i
rector of the Leukemia Association
of Oregon, ordered Moussaka and
a Pepsi from the Vat and Tonsur
menu, worth about S3. " I came
thinking 1 was going to cheat with a
cup of soup on the way to the o f
fice,” she said, but after listening to
the speeches she changed her mind.
The fast "th a t tweeks our tum
mies” should be a reminder of the
real fast going on in the world to
day, notably in Africa, said Sigrid
Clark.
"H o w many deaths will it take
before we know too many people
have died?” asked Peter Yarrow,
invoking the song, "Blowing in
the W ind," which he and Paul Stoo-
key and Mary Travers made fa
mous.
Mary Travers said she witnessed
hunger during a trip to El Salvador,
"W hen politics gets in the way of
humanity, there is something wrong
with politics, and with us,” she said.
City council candidate Herb
Cawthorne called for a "peace
corps of the heart." The people ga
thered and thoughts of the famine
made him think of a phrase,
"There, but for the grace o f God,
go I," said Cawthorne.
Lew Church, fast coordinator for
the Interagency Food Bank, said do
nations can be sent care of “ Fast for
the Hungry,” 3939 S.E. 26th, Port
land, 97202. Phone 239-5437 for
more information.
»s '■ ' ’’ v ’
Holiday gifts, arts and crafts,
decorations and lunch will be avail
able at the Sugar Plum Faire, Dec.
2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the
Downtown YW C A . 1111 S.W 10th
Ave. This Holiday Bazaar is held in
conjunction with the Park Block
Revels and marks the kickoff of the
Annual Westwind Christmas Tree
Sale.
The Tree Sale, running through
Dec. 24, will offer fresh Scotch
pine. Grand, Noble, and Douglas
Fir trees, wreaths and holly. The
sale, held on the Downtown YWCA
Patio, will be open from 9 a.m
to 7 p .m ., weekend and 11 a .m .-
1:30 p.m. and 4-6:30 p.m. week
days. Both the tree sale and the
Bazaar proceeds help send chil
dren to Westwind, the YW C A
camp on the Pacific. Last summer,
over 150 people were able to attend
camp who otherwise would not have
been able. Call the Downtown
YW C A for more information,
223-6281.
Engineering
school tour
try is a highland plateau with a con-
stand year-round climate, "some
thing like Southern California in
the wintertim e,” he said. " I l ’s
beautiful.”
But for several seasons the nor
mal monsoon rains haven't come.
"W hen there is no rain there is no
crop and when there is no crop you
are going to get hungry," said
Jarra.
Something similar happened in
1973, said Jarra, when he and his
wife were students in Ethiopia. "W e
fasted for a week and we collected
some breakfast money, some
clothes, blankets and we chose a
representative to go up there and
give it to (the victim s)." But this
famine, said Jarra, is the worst yet.
" I t is really encircling the coun
try," he said.
The famine is complicated by
Ethiopia's political situation, they
said. Military-socialist government
came to power in the mid-70's, and
a war for independence has con
tinued in the northern province of
Eritrea for 25 years.
They would like to go back and
visit friends and relatives, they say,
but fear that once in the country
they will not be allowed to return
makes them stay. "Our plan was to
go back, and because of the change
of government there was no im
provement toward free movement.
We decided to wait and see," said
Sultessa. In the meantime we starr
ed this business.” Jarra's has been
at Southeast 6th and Morrison for
I '/ j years. "Po rtlan d accepted us
well and we are very happy now,”
said Jarra.
"W h at I want to say," he said,
"is to thank the people of Portland
greatly for their kind help and re
sponse. .. you never know who your
friends arc until you get into a sit
uation where you need them.”
Announcing
wide area paging coverage
without
the wide area price.
The paging people who haw always brought you
selection and service now bring you one of the
widest coverage areas In Portland.
Plus one big advantage Our com|x*tltors charge
you for "extended coverage." RAM Includes It as
standard b ill o f fare.
Premium coverage w ithout a premium price.
Because at RAM. we believe your pager Is only as
good as the area It reaches
226-1507
RAM Broadcasting of Oregon, Inc , 713 S W 12th Avenue
ATABLE
INAPHONE
BOOTH.
The University o f Portland
School of Engineering will open its
doors to visitors Saturday, Dec. I,
to give the public a view of the
school and its offerings.
The visitation day, primarily
aimed at new or transfer students
and their parents, will begin at 12:30
p.m. A tour of the campus and en
gineering facilities will be included.
For registration or additional in
formation call the University of
Portland School o f Engineering at
(503)283-7314.
Used toys
for needy
The Portland Fire Bureau Toy
and Joy makers will be operating
from a new location this year locat
ed at 1122 N. Williams Ave., corner
of N. Williams and Hassalo. This
site has been donated by Hanna
Industries.
Christmas is nearly here again
and we need new or very repairable
toys and/or cash donations (and it's
all tax deductible).
People wishing to donate can
drop o ff their toys at any Portland
Fire station and mail all cash dona
tions to the Toy and Joy Makers,
c /o the Portland Fire Bureau, S3
S. W. Ash, Portland 97204.
f •T.",’ •' •
I
Cidi your favorite restaurant from
a convenient public phone.
( Q ) Pacific Northwest Bell
CIMM Ih xifk North west Hr 11