Kindhearts raise £73k to replace chef’s van ‘torched by arsonists’
DAVID BUILT POPULAR BUSINESS AFTER ARRIVING IN CITY WITH £70 IN HIS POCKET
KINDHEARTS have raised more than £73,000 to replace a chef’s food van after it was burned to the ground.
David Olalekan Kamson started his business in Moston four years ago after moving to Manchester with just £70 to his name.
Last year, he managed to buy his trailer and every Wednesday he would cook free food for homeless people. But, after being hit with racist abuse for months, this week David found out his van had been torched in an apparent arson attack.
David, originally from Lagos in Nigeria, said: “I came back from York on Monday night and walked past my trailer and it was still there.
“The next morning I went to the Post Office and the guys in there asked me what had happened to my trailer.
“They told me that it had been on fire and that it had burnt to the ground. When I saw it, I cried for almost five hours.”
Pictures posted on David’s Instagram page show the trailer completely destroyed. As news spread of the attack, a man named Jolus Lutete set up a gofundme page titled ‘Help David Kamson get his food van back’.
More than £33,000 was raised in 24 hours – and the total now stands at more than £73,000.
David, who specialises in suya – a form of spicy meat skewer popular in West Africa – says his trailer was stolen a few weeks ago, so he bought a lock and parked it in a car park on Albine Street, off Moston Lane.
He added: “When I started I bought a little shed from B&Q to protect me from the rain, but then a group of lads came and broke that. But I carried on, and eventually I bought a trailer.
“I started cooking again and it was a happy moment for people in Moston, especially with coronavirus.”
David says he has been overwhelmed by the support - and believes he may now be able to pay for his own shop.
He said: “Before yesterday, nobody had ever helped me. Someone set up a fundraising page for me and it started with a few pounds. I had already seen a new trailer but now I think I can buy a shop in Moston and I’ll be able to feed the homeless more!”
David says he is determined not to let the incident change his outlook on Moston, which is proud to call home.
He said: “I just want to tell all the black people, don’t let one person change your life. This country is the United Kingdom,” he said.
“I came from Nigeria, but when I came here I became a better person. I have a daughter here and a family.
“The thank-you I get from people when I serve them food is worth so much more than the money I receive.
“This incident will not change my view of the United Kingdom.”
Greater Manchester Police have been contacted for comment.
You can donate by searching for ‘Help David Kamson get his food van back’ on gofundme.