This Indian Restaurateur In Canada Offers Free Meals To Anyone In Need

This Indian Restaurateur In Canada Offers Free Meals To Anyone In Need
Published on
3 min read

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, goes the saying, which may hold true at times, but Parkash Chhibber’s restaurant serves free meals for any person who can’t afford it, with a whole lot-a love and compassion on the side. In Edmonton, Canada, Chhibber’s eatery Indian Fusion has been serving meals for two years now to anyone who is hungry, and recently put up a sign on its back-door encouraging people in need of a meal to come inside--the sign reads: “Dear friends, if you are hungry and have no money to pay, just ring the bell below or come in for a free meal box/coffee anytime.”
Offering both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, along with a beverage, this kind-hearted man even asks customers to let the staff know of any “allergy or dietary concerns.” The sign was put up six months ago, Chhibber tells The Huffington Post, and thanks to a passerby, Daniella Tintinaglia, who saw the sign and posted a picture of it on Imgur, news of Chhibber’s good deed spread like wildfire with support and appreciation flooding in from around the world.
“I thought how many people can I go and ask, ‘Are you hungry?’ It’s not possible,” he told CTV. “So I thought, why not put up a sign? In case someone is hungry.” Chhibber, who moved to Canada in 2005 in search of a new life and opportunities, acknowledges and understands himself how far such kindness can go. “I have seen enough hunger in the past,” says Chhibber. “I know the pain of not having food.”

Image source: The Huffington Post

It was in 1992 in New Delhi, he suffered a terrible accident while waiting at a bus stop that left him bed-ridden for over two years, causing him to lose his job at the restaurant where he worked. “I had nine multiple fractures. Five steel rods were placed in my body to support my crushed bones,” he says speaking to The Huffington Post. Struggling for money, Chhibber and his wife approached their friends and were welcomed with open arms. “One particular evening me and my wife literally had nothing to eat or any money. I was always shy to ask for help in terms of money,” he says. “So, on my crutches, me and my wife decided to visit some of our friends’ houses at around dinner time,” he added.
As per the report, the number of visitors to Indian Fusion varies from day to day since the sign was put up. On some days he feeds three to ten people, on others, no one comes knocking at the door. “I cannot say how many we served but I feel we should have reached more people,” he commented. Chhibber doesn’t expect any laurels for his actions, speaking to CTV, he insists that with plenty of food cooked at the restaurant to spare he isn’t doing anything extraordinary by feeding people in need, it doesn’t affecting him financially. “I’m feeling sad; I think I can do much more. I am already preparing food for other people. I am not going out of my way. This is my life. I am not doing anything extra,” he says. “I always say in a joke, the front door is for paying my bills and the back door is for something personal.” We tip our hats for humble Parkash Chhibber who serves as a perfect example of the positive consequences helping a person in need can have and how showing kindness towards people can really go a long way.

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