Joanne McQuarrie, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter | [email protected]
Cory Wallace, a world class mountain bike racer from Jasper, has been in Nepal for 11 months, a much longer stay than he expected due to COVID-19 and the resulting lockdown.
Wallace has deep gratitude to the Nepalese people, who have welcomed him warmly since he's been there, whether he was in a small village or a monastery high in the mountains.
"It's probably the most welcoming country I've been to, especially out in the countryside," Wallace said on Sept. 11. "You always feel safe."
In March, when Wallace set out by himself for three weeks trekking on the east side of Nepal, he said not once did he feel lonely or unwelcomed.
The people, he said, are "so friendly".
"It hit home how lucky we are," Wallace said. "They always welcome us. They give us food and water."
The generosity of Nepalese people belies the poverty many live in. Wallace and his friends have done four fundraisers to help give back to them.
In the latest fundraiser Wallace has been delivering dry food packs. Each costs $1,500 ($16.70 CAD) and includes ten kilograms of rice and three kilograms of lentils, with soybeans, salt, oil and special COVID-19 additions, garlic and masks.
Wallace said this is enough food for two meals a day for a week for a family of four. It's a total of 50 or 60 meals in each pack.
In total, Wallace delivered 184 food packs plus 76 kid food packs - making a grand total of 13,000 to 15,600 meals.
He and his friends also donated $650 CAD in three installments to the mother of Narayan Gopal.
"I raced against her son for many years as he was the current Nepal National Mountain Bike Champion when he passed away at a race in Sri Lanka in June of 2018," Wallace shared. "Narayan's mom lives along and comes from a very poor part of Kathmandu. Without Narayan to assist her, she now needs financial support for food."
Wallace and friends also distributed 400 snack packs to the young police officers who are handling the lockdown in Kathmandu.
"They are paid very low wages and have a tough job this year trying to control Kathmandu while it has been under strict orders," he noted.
In total, $5,122 (CAD) was raised, $5,144.80 was spent: $3,091 on 184 food packs, $650 to Narayan's mom, $410 to the police, $891 on 76 kid food packs, and $72.80 to bank fees.
