A south-end Barrie restaurant is trying to help people in need, one meal at a time.
The concept is simple, explained Hassan Muhammad, owner of Tikka Fusion, located on 505 Bryne Dr. For the month of Ramadan, customers can prepay for someone else's meal and Tikka Fusion will match the donation.
The receipt is then posted on the front door. Any customer who cannot afford a meal can take this receipt, present it to the server and enjoy the meal at no cost to them.
“We were seeing a lot of people coming in … trying to buy food and their cards were declined," he said. "The whole economic situation, everything is so difficult. A lot of people are not able to make ends meet.
“It’s a very sad situation where one person is fasting by choice and then one person who is starving because they can’t (afford food)," Muhammad added. "We know, at a certain point, we are going to have food on the table and can break our fast … but there are people who are unable to even afford groceries.”
Muhammad, who opened the restaurant three years ago, says they’d notice customers coming in and trying to determine the cheapest thing they could purchase just to get them through the day.
It was then he decided to launch the initiative.
“We’d been having conversations about what the best thing we could do to help,” Muhammad said.
Initially, the plan was simply for the restaurant to put receipts on the door, but Muhammad quickly found that others in the community wanted to help as well, but were simply unsure how.
The decision was made to expand the initiative and provide customers with the opportunity to purchase meals for others and leave their receipts on the door.
“Everyone is welcome. No matter your race, colour, religion, it’s open to everyone. We are here with open arms (and) warm meals. You don’t have to struggle to pay for your meal," he said.
"It’s the smallest thing we can do for them. We make it as discreet as possible.”
Muhammad says the city has given him “so much love” since opening the restaurant and he wanted to give back.
The feedback — both who purchase a meal for someone else and those who have appreciated a free meal — has been overwhelming, he says.
A lot of kids are curious when they enter the restaurant, Muhammad said, adding as parents explain the initiative and the importance of helping others, he’s found that, more often than not, the family ends up purchasing a meal and leaving a receipt.
“It’s a very humbling experience for us. There are so many people out there who are ready to help. You just have to be that person to start something, and they will definitely come to help,” he said. “Everyone has bills to pay, but some have it in them to give back.”
Muhammad says the original plan was to run the initiative until the end of Ramadan, but said since seeing the impact it’s been making, they will likely continue to do it.
“It’s just not getting better for people,” he said. “We are just trying to do our part.”
