A generous shopkeeper has took it upon himself to provide free food to 'struggling' members of his neighbourhood amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Shahid Gohar, the man behind Gohar Discount Shop strives to support those who come into shop not being able to afford even the 'most basic of products'. Originally from
Pakistan, Shahid moved to the
UK in 2008 and began working his way up in a restaurant from kitchen porter to chef before leaving the industry to work in his own shop. He does that tirelessly, daily from 9am to 7pm in order to support his wife and their three young children in Leeds, reports LeedsLive. The 43-year old's store is based in the multi-racial community of Harehills, the most impoverished area of the city with an average income of £18,300, according to the Office for National Statistics. As such, Shahid says many residents are unemployed and in desperate need of essential items like milk, bread, biscuits and tins of beans but simply can’t afford them. He explained: "There’s lots of people who come in here who don’t have enough money to pay, so I give them what they need. Every time. They will either give the money back to me some day or they won’t, it’s alright. It's stuff like milk, bread, biscuits, beans, can of chickpeas and fish. "There’s lots of people who struggle here. They have no jobs. They come in asking for jobs and I have no jobs to give them. Or they have no food. It makes me feel so bad. No one ever steals things, just little children sometimes." Subscribe here for the latest news where you live Devout Muslim Shahid said despite the financial circumstances, he loves residing in such a 'wholesome community' area and appreciates the convenience of his nearby mosque for daily prayers. He continued: "I like the community, it’s very busy with a lot of hustle and bustle. There’s a barber shop and takeaways here, lots of people visit. It’s also convenient to go and pray at the nearby mosque. I give people a smile when they come to the shop to talk and I ask them how they are, these kinds of things. People smile in the street to me and they come up to me and say they love coming to my shop. And all the other shop owners here are my
Friends." For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.