NIZAR MOHAMED SHARIFF

FOUNDER OF FREE FOOD FOR ALL

Formerly in the shipping business, Nizar Mohamed Shariff was living it up in the lap of luxury with multiple cars and gifting luxury items to his family on a whim. But at the age of 43, Nizar’s conscience began catching up with him.

“I don’t like the feeling of making money off the sweat, tears and pain of others. I just couldn’t stand the lies and the trickery involved,” he says, describing the unethical and sometimes unscrupulous business practices that are par for the course in the shipping industry.

Compelled by his misgivings, he set out to do good instead. Free Food for All (FFFA) was set up in 2014 to provide free halal meals to those in need, regardless of race and religion. As the movement gained traction, FFFA was officially registered as a charity in 2015, with Institutions of a Public Character (IPC) status. It now runs several programmes to address food insecurity and food waste, providing food for 80 to 100 families a month, and has served more than 100,000 households in Singapore to date .

For all his good work, life hasn’t been entirely kind to Nizar, now 49. He has been wheelchair-bound for the past two years. “But it has not stopped me from doing what I need to do,” he responds swiftly. “The stains will always be there, but they remind you of what you were and all you can do right now is try to be an agent of positive change.”