Hungry? Come inside, eat
For people down on their luck, the words ‘‘come inside and eat some food’’ have turned a central Auckland eatery into a welcoming refuge.
Sandringham’s Paradise Indian Foods is trying to calm needy people’s shame as they fill their bellies by stocking a free food fridge with delicious, healthy food.
Manager Ismail Mohammed said although his family-run takeaway and restaurant had been giving away free food for several years, it’s only in the last few weeks they had decided to install the cabinet.
The Mohammeds and their staff felt they could reach more hungry people by taking away the stigma of waiting outside and queuing for food.
Now the needy, who range from the homeless to students, can come in and grab what they need from the cabinet during opening hours.
‘‘We get tears in their eyes when we we say ‘come inside and eat some food’,’’ Mohammed said.
Mohammed credits his Muslim beliefs around helping the needy, something his baker father’s actions instilled in him.
The Mohammed family, originally from Hyderabad in southern India, ran a bakery which fed about 15 to 20 people per night, he said.
Whatever baking was left over from the day was given over to the poor.
Paradise used to feed about 10 people daily, but with the fridge it’s now about 20, Mohammed said.
‘‘I wish every business did this, it’s good for the community, it’s good for people who don’t have money.’’
‘‘I wish every business did this.’’