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Caravan Kebab owner and chef Shahzad Raja and several volunteers distributed more than 125 meals of roast chicken and rice pilaf to people in need on Christmas Day.
Volunteers of American Western Washington (VOAWW) Vice President of Community Engagement Steve Woodard and volunteers Amira Atan and Christina Ross helped package the food and coordinated meal distribution.
Atan and Ross distributed about 50 meals together from Edmonds to Everett while Raja headed south to Shoreline and University District.
Raja said that he has been doing this every Christmas Day since 2010 because Dec. 25 is his birthday. “That’s how I celebrate it,” he said.
He said since the opening of Caravan Kebab, he initially distributed 20 to 30 meals by himself and the number of meals has steadily increased each Christmas Day. Last year, he and a team of volunteers distributed more than 300 meals. This year they had to scale back because a van driver crashed into the restaurant in March, forcing him to close the restaurant for about six months to make repairs.
“The regular customer came to support me, and they are happy we are working,” Raja said. “It’s a little tough right now…I have strong hopes we’re gonna make it.”
Caravan Kebab has been serving Edmonds and nearby neighborhoods since 2010, offering various cuisines from India, Ukraine, Turkey and Greece. The cuisine is influenced by Raja’s travels around Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean region, central Asia and his own roots in Pakistan.
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