Fire Damage Fund Taste of Jerusalem Nasser Family

JENNIFER CATTERSON is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Abdul Nasser.

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On Monday, December 4, a fire broke out in an older downtown Colorado Springs building, severely damaging The Taste of Jerusalem Cafe. View local media coverage of the incident here: https://www.fox21news.com/top-stories/fire-devastates-local-businesses-in-downtown-colorado-spring

Abdul Nasser is Taste of Jerusalem's owner, and he's a very generous person. For years, he has provided free meals to anyone who needs them, no questions asked! In fact, in 2022, KOAA NBC news channel 5 awarded him the Jefferson Award for outstanding service to his community: https://www.koaa.com/community/jefferson-awards-how-a-local-business-owner-is-providing-a-taste-of-hope-at-taste-of-jerusalem-cafe

I have personally known Abdul for several years. He is a humble man with a loving family and NEVER hesitates to help others.

Prior to this fire, he worked tirelessly to keep his restaurant open through the pandemic, continuing to offer free meals to those in need.

Insurance is only going to cover a small portion of what is needed to reopen the restaurant. And in talking with Abdul about what's known in these early days, it is estimated it will be 6 -12 months before he can reopen to serve our community again. He will need funds to not only rebuild his restaurant, but to support his family during this time as well since he now has no income stream.

I am combining efforts with Matthew Schniper, a longtime-local food/drink journalist who has known Adbul professionally since Taste of Jerusalem opened 15 years ago. Matthew runs Side Dish with Schniper (sidedishschnip.substack.com) and can be contacted via that site to verify the veracity of this fundraiser. He plans to report on progress of Taste of Jerusalem's recovery via his newsletters — and when it's time, help promote the eatery's reopening.

Please join us to do everything we can as a community to give back to a man who has given so much to us.

Please help us prove that Colorado Springs is a smaller city with an even bigger heart. Let's help restore this vital business and ensure its longevity!