RAWALPINDI: Pakistani immigrant and restaurateur Suleman Raza has been serving food to the poor and homeless in the United Kingdom for years but when the coronavirus pandemic hit, he knew he had to do even more.
He thus launched the ‘One Million Meals’ initiative in April this year with the aim of feeding National Health Services (NHS) doctors, nurses, paramedics and key workers on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Much to Raza’s surprise, one of the people who wanted to pitch in was David Becham, the former England soccer captain and a frequent visitor at Raza’s award-winning chain of restaurants, Spice Village.
“As soon as I started the campaign, I thought that I should try Beckham, tell him about the project and see if he could help us,” Raza told Arab News over the phone.
Suleman Raza with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, at the Royal Annual Dinner in London, United Kingdom, on February 4, 2020. (Photo courtesy of Suleman Raza)
“To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes since I know that celebrities are usually careful when it comes to charity, but I was left speechless,” Raza added. “As soon as I told him that I was offering free meals to homeless people and NHS workers, he said, ‘That’s the best thing I’ve heard. Tell me what you need from me.’”
Beckham’s support got the campaign valuable media attention and gave Raza platforms to speak about and raise funds for the initiative through corporate sponsorships and relationships with other restaurants. He even got an endorsement from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Raza said he has so far raised over a quarter million pounds and served “probably more than a million pounds worth” of meals.
“Our aim was never to raise money,” Raza said. “I treated the whole thing as a way to encourage restaurants and food producers all over the UK to contribute by offering meals.”
Raza and his family, who originally hail from Rawalpindi in Pakistan’s Punjab province, are no strangers to helping the community and have silently provided free meals to the poor and homeless for years.
Suleman Raza shakes hands with Prince Charles at the Royal Annual Dinner in London, United Kingdom, on February 4, 2020. (Photo courtesy: Suleman Raza)
In December 2019, Raza launched the ‘No One Eats Alone’ project, which set out to serve warm Christmas meals to homeless and elderly people who were alone over the holidays.
Undated picture of Suleman Raza who launched the One Million Meals campaign in April 2020 to help frontline workers and homeless people in the United Kingdom during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo courtesy: Suleman Raza)
“I’ve been living here for over 20 years and I never thought that the UK had so much poverty,” he said, adding that he frequently sent Zakat, a mandatary form of charity in Islam, to Pakistan, but recently started focusing on those in need in the UK.
“Why should we not cater for all those poor and needy people who are in front of us?” Raza said. “We have a lot of poverty in Pakistan and other Muslim countries, but it’s also my duty as a Muslim to look after those who are right across the road.”
