News on Youtube Dec 25 2018

It's the season of giving.

For Kazi Mannan, this means going into overdrive.

Kazi is an immigrant from Pakistan, who now owns a small but successful restaurant in

downtown Washington DC.

All of these scarves and warm clothes that he purchased are about to be given away.

This is an annual gathering at Franklin Square park, in downtown DC, where various charities

and churches will give away food and goods to people in need just before Christmas.

Kazi has been coming for the past four years, ever since he opened his restaurant, and has

built up a small network of homeless people who know him.

"It's a joy, anything that you can make another person happy...if you can put a smile on someone

else's face, it's a big blessing."

Kazi said he also knows the sting of being poor.

The restaurant he now owns, serves free meals to homeless people all day, every day.

"Homelessness is endemic in Washington DC.

One estimate said 11,000 people have to sleep on the streets every night.

Kazi Mannan himself said that he has experienced a similar situation of extreme poverty.

And now that he's a successful business owner, he wants to give back."

Sakina Grill now has a many regular non-paying customers.

Besides the benefit of freshly made food, one man told us, it helps him simply feel

accepted.

"It makes you feel regular, like normal...it kind of makes you feel privileged too."

Kazi's generosity started when the restaurant started on day one.

Seeing homeless people digging through trash cans broke his heart, he said.

"I promised that if I ever had a restaurant, I would have this philosophy...it

will benefit me, and will benefit others."

Over the past four years, Sakina Grill is still operational, and has given out more

than 80,000 meals.

A good reminder that need knows no season.