Montaha’s Bistro, a recently launched restaurant in Swift Current partially funding Sammy Khalife’s medical costs, is continuing to support local business while also helping the less fortunate.

The bistro is pledging 10 per cent of their profits towards the Swift Current Salvation Army food bank, supplying the organization with gourmet food in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic depression caused in its wake.

Khalife is also the spokesperson of the eatery, and said that what comes from the community stays in the community, as 90 per cent of the ingredients they receive are local.

The Lebanese menu of the restaurant prompted the slogan “international taste, fresh & local ingredients.

Khalife spoke on the quality of the food given to the bank.

“The food that we donate to the unfortunate and the people who need it, it's not like leftover food, it's a gourmet meal, made when they ordered it and the same quality as you can get at the bistro when you buy it.”

While he admitted that business had been slow after the Coronavirus closed in on Canada, he said they have been able to donate 100 meals since launching the program.

Being able to give fresh thanks in part due to local suppliers, he reiterated that buying local is a good routine for consumers and businesses to implement now.

 “We need each other and we are helping each other by doing this. It's the sense of community that we respect and love and it's our duty to give back to our community and support our suppliers.”

“We only can do it all together, or we all will fail.”

Supplies coming into the bistro are also sanitized no matter their location of origin, something Khalife said ensures the health and safety of customers, employees, and himself, the owner of preexisting health conditions which would make complications in the event of a COVID-19 infection.