Today (19 August) marks World Humanitarian Day, and one Leeds supermarket is marking the occasion by encouraging people to recognise that sometimes the smallest acts of kindness can make the biggest difference.
Abu Bakr Supermarket is using the international day of recognition to highlight the importance of helping people with one of life’s most basic necessities - getting food onto the table.
The supermarket is encouraging customers and members of the local community to consider whether a friend, neighbour, family member or someone in need could benefit from a helping hand with their shopping.
Whether it’s helping an elderly person carry their groceries, picking up essential items for someone who can’t easily travel to a supermarket, or buying additional food for a family struggling financially, Abu Bakr Supermarket says humanitarianism doesn’t always have to involve a grand gesture.
Very simple
The supermarket believes that even something as simple as helping someone with their weekly shop can have a meaningful impact. For single parents juggling work, childcare and household responsibilities, an offer to pick up groceries could free up valuable time to spend with their children; for people living with physical disabilities or mobility difficulties, shopping can present significant practical challenges; for elderly people, a supermarket trip can sometimes be physically demanding or difficult to manage alone.
And for new mums, families under financial pressure or anyone struggling to make ends meet, receiving help with essential groceries can provide both practical and emotional support.
Abu Bakr Supermarket is also encouraging those who can to go one step further by considering whether they can purchase additional groceries for someone experiencing financial hardship.
The supermarket says shoppers could consider adding basic nutritional staples to their own shopping basket and donating them to a food bank, community organisation or family in need.
It is also encouraging people to think about what they donate, with nutritious and useful everyday foods potentially providing greater support than simply buying items that are convenient.
Hamza Hussain, MD, said: “World Humanitarian Day is a reminder that helping others is something we can all play a part in.
“You don’t have to change the world in one day. Sometimes helping someone carry their shopping, picking up groceries for an elderly neighbour or buying a few extra essentials for a family who is struggling can make a huge difference.
“Food is something every family needs, and as a supermarket we see every day how important access to good-quality, affordable food is.
“A small act of kindness can take a weight off somebody’s shoulders, and that is what humanitarianism is really about.”
The supermarket is encouraging shoppers to consider a number of simple ways they can make a difference. It adds that the message behind its World Humanitarian Day activity is deliberately simple: help where you can, with what you can.
The supermarket, which has stores across West Yorkshire, has built a reputation for community-focused campaigns and initiatives aimed at supporting people beyond the checkout.
The business believes stores can play an important role in their local communities because they are places where people from all walks of life come together every day.
For World Humanitarian Day, its message is that everyone can make a difference – and sometimes all it takes is offering a helping hand.
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