Local fundraiser helps Filipino typhoon victims

By Emily Wolfe Explore Big Sky Managing Editor

BIG SKY – Ski bums can rally, and this winter they did so to pitch in for victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in November 2013.

Alex and Scott Hoeksema, owners of the Lotus Pad restaurant, held a fundraiser in January that drew 45 people for an evening and featured an upscale Filipino family-style dinner and a saki tasting.

The Hoeksemas sent half of the proceeds to the nonprofit Christian charity Feed My Starving Children, which distributes meals to Haiyan survivors. According to Alex, this money was enough to feed 30 kids one meal per day for a year.

Alex, who is half-Filipino, sent the other half to her extended family. Their house on Bohol Island was severely damaged after the typhoon and a set of earthquakes this winter.

“It would be great to show people how their generous donation helped my family directly,” Alex said. “We are grateful.”

Super Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, struck on Nov. 8, killing more than 6,000 people in that country alone, and destroyed farms, towns and roads.