Giving back to the community through cooking

In February, I moved to Toronto from Dubai, where I used to work for a foreign bank. I moved to Toronto seeking a better and more permanent life. My brother and my wife’s family also live here.

As a new immigrant, I carried all the worries of moving to a new country, taking a bet on myself and the fine people of Canada I had heard about. I too became a victim of these unprecedented times, with no clear sight of what’s going to happen in the future and only my savings to rely on until such a time when all this stands behind us.

Not giving up hope, I decided to start a home-based kitchen at the end of March with my wife and mother-in-law, who is a brilliant chef and carries more than 20 years’ experience cooking Indian and Pakistani cuisine. We called it “Sam’s Kitchen” (“Sam” is short for “Saima”, which is my mother-in-law’s first name) and started it to not only support our family but also to help the community however we can in these troubled times. In fact, we have chosen to share 10% of our profits every month to a good cause, giving back to society in the hopes that our good deed will assist someone in need.

In addition to this, we also carve out meals for homeless people every day. Many of our clients live downtown where many homeless people reside, so we give meals to the first two homeless people we see on each delivery route.

Life can change in the blink of an eye, and if during that time you have someone to hold your hand (whether present or not), it can change your perspective and motivate you to face the hardships of life. It’s a blessing.

With this intent in mind, we made a donation to North York General, which is our community hospital. I hope it helps the hospital’s patients and staff further affirm their belief that they are not the only ones in this fight. We all in some way, shape or form are here to help!

Warm regards,

Muzammel Naeem
Grateful donor