A Turkish restaurant owner in Koblenz, Germany, is providing free meals to homeless people every Thursday evening, according to German media outlet SWR.
From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays, any homeless person who walks into Mehmet Yıldırım's restaurant can order the food of their choice off the menu, which includes döner, pizza and other meals. Yıldırım said that they get exactly the same dish as the paying customers.
Yıldırım is calling on the other restaurants and eateries in the busy city center to join him in this effort.
“No restaurateur can tell me that in the morning he knows what is going to be leftover in the evening. There is always way too much. If I give out food on Thursday, other (restaurants) could take over on Monday or Friday,” said Yıldırım, who shares the business with his brother.
Yıldırım and his brother came as refugees to Germany many years ago, and they often went to sleep feeling hungry. “Maybe that’s why I see the homeless of Koblenz with different eyes," he said.
Yıldırım urged anyone who has something to give away to share it with others, stating that everyone benefits from this practice. “The homeless are happy. And it doesn’t hurt at all. To the contrary, it calms my soul.”
