Dollard-des-Ormeaux dépanneur dishes out free coffee for those in need
West Island Provi-soir inspired by Marché Ferdous free food pledge
On a cold Montreal day, a warm message welcomes people to the Dépanneur Provi-soir on St. Jean Boulevard.
"People with no money are welcome to a free hot beverage," the small paper sign reads, in French and English.
If it sounds familiar, it's because the dépanneur got the idea from a Montreal restaurant, Marché Ferdous.
The pledge from restaurant co-owner Yahya Hashemi to give free food to anyone who is hungry struck a chord with people all over the world, making headlines from the U.K. to Taiwan.
"To be a business owner and not think about their profits, just to help the community: I take my hat off to that gentleman. He's amazing," said Moses Arora, whose father owns the dépanneur.
Arora says it was his father who was inspired by Marché Ferdous and decided to follow that example.
"I would say he believes in universal brotherhood. He believes in everybody to come together as one," he said.
"I was really proud of him. Everybody who sees the sign really appreciates that he is doing that."
'It's the gesture'
So far, 10 to 15 customers have taken the convenience store up on the offer since it put the sign up two weeks ago.
Arora said one customer wanted to make sure it wasn't too good to be true.
"He asked for a coffee and I said, 'Yeah, go right ahead!' And he actually said, 'I just wanted to see if you guys were really doing it,' and he gave me the toonie, regardless."
"It's the gesture, I think."
'A little help now and then'
As a customer comes through the door, Arora greets her with a smile and a cheeky sense of familiarity.
"Best customer in the West Island!" he says.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sandra Colby replies, smiling.
Colby works in the building upstairs and comes into the dépanneur often but saw the free coffee sign for the first time today.
"That's great.… There's a lot of people that need a little help now and then," she said, adding that she's not surprised at all that the family has decided to do this.
"They're very open with everyone. They're very sweet with everyone. I'm not just saying that," she said.
But Arora stresses that his family didn't do this with dreams of praise or viral publicity in mind.
In fact, he's visibly uncomfortable with the attention, preferring to put the emphasis on the deed itself.
"If you have the means to help someone else, why wouldn't you do it?" he said.