For Iqbal Alimohd and his wife Mumtaz, Saturday mornings start quite early. For 15 years, this amazing family has been delivering groceries to seniors every weekend.
They go to the Real Canadian Superstore before it opens and both of them are ready to purchase the groceries for dozens of seniors in Calgary.
Iqbal who’s a Checker Cabs driver said this started with a couple of his regular clients.
Taxi Driver Has Been Delivering Seniors’ Groceries for 15 Years
As time went by, he noticed his regular clients weren’t doing well. He then told them that from now on, he will be the one who will purchase the groceries for them since they’re lacking the energy.
What began with just two or three clients of his grew into many more as those seniors began talking to each other about what Iqbal was doing for them.
Donating the most Valuable Thing, His Time
Today, Iqbal’s operation is serving 20 to 25 people, and keeping things organized isn’t a small task at all. During the weekdays, his wife takes the phone orders and puts them in into a spreadsheet.
During the weekend, Iqbal and his wife take up to eight shopping carts and also have a designated cashier aisle at the store. They spend two to three hours before heading to the specialty grocery stores.
After this is done, Iqbal delivers the groceries to the seniors and unpacks them. Most weekends for the couple don’t end until 7 pm, but their time is something they’ve decided to give for free.
Iqbal who will be 70 this year is charging only what he pays for the groceries. He never charges them for the gas or his service.
The couple’s sons, Faisal Alimohd and Yasin Alimohamed, also help their parents with the grocery purchases, especially during the pandemic so that they wouldn’t spend too much time in public.
They say that this weekly tradition has been a major part of their lives. Faisal notes that this is a big commitment because whenever they would have travels planned or anything else, their dad would say ‘well, what are my seniors going to do on Saturday?’
Despite being a commitment, the family says it’s something they look forward to.
There’s more to It than the Delivery of Groceries
For Yasin, the delivery of groceries is only a small part of Iqbal’s efforts. The rest of it, he believes, is more significant. In a way, he becomes a part of the family.
Namely, Iqbal has spent countless hours socializing with the seniors and even drives them to appointments when necessary. But he’s always been quiet about it.
Faisal said how they didn’t realize how much was included beyond the purchasing and delivery of groceries until they noticed thank-you notes from the seniors or their children.
According to Yasin, their dad is a believer in “work, no words.” He says this act of kindness gives their dad a sense of why he’s here.
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