Lance Maggart / lmaggart@skyhinews.com
Nepal: Here to Help held its fifth annual benefit dinner Wednesday night at the home of Sandy and Steve Kukoy on the shores of Shadow Mountain Reservoir.
The evening featured a traditional Sherpa dinner including delicious vegetarian and chicken curries, momos – Nepalese dumplings – spiced green beans and much more.
Roughly 130 people attended the benefit dinner, which was prepared by Karma Sherpa, son of Tashi and Lakpa Sherpa. According to Sandy Kukoy, one of the founders of Nepal: Here to Help, Karma Sherpa began preparing the evening’s meal Tuesday evening and spent the entirety of Wednesday cooking the colorful curries that guests enjoyed.
The Kukoys are still working to determine a final tally from Wednesday’s benefit dinner but noted hundreds of dollars were raised through the benefit’s silent auction alone, with one item going for as much as $250.
“We are so grateful for the overwhelming support of the Grand County people who continue to show up to the benefit,” Kukoy said. “We are so happy to help the children who live in the Khumbu Everest region of Nepal to get an education.”
Kukoy said that she and her daughter will be heading to Nepal in late October to distribute the funds that have been raised over the past year. Kukoy noted that 100% of all funds donated to Nepal: Here to Help go directly to the children of Nepal and that she and others with the organization incur their own overhead costs, including airfare expenses to and from Nepal when traveling to disperse the funds.
“Every penny that is donated goes directly to the kids,” Kukoy said. “We are very directed in that.”
Kukoy offered a special thank you to Ron Sears who donated the cooking facilities for Wednesday night’s benefit dinner, the Alpine Classic Duo who donated their time performing live music at the event for the fifth year, and Michael Schurer – owner of Michael’s Audio & Video – who donated the sound system used during the dinner.