A kind-hearted Dubai resident is on a one-man mission to put generosity on the menu by donating hundreds of meals to delivery riders.
Every time Tarik Toptas orders food for himself, he adds a meal for one of the city's riders working around the clock to serve the public.
Mr Toptas, 24, a Turkish software engineer, has already donated more than 240 meals to Careem workers in two weeks – and plans to give away 500 more.
“It's a good feeling to give kindness away every day,” Mr Toptas told The National. “It gives me fulfilment in my life because I like to share my meals. I want to share with other people. It makes my life easier – it gives me a good feeling when I sleep and wake up, it gives me motivation.”
Serving up support
For more than a year, Mr Toptas has been handing out water and cookies to delivery riders who bring him meals. Then he began adding a meal for the rider to his order.
The riders on motorbikes were bewildered at first when he handed them a coffee, burger or pasta. Watching their faces light up with a smile as they realised what he was doing made him decide to donate meals more regularly.
“Most of the time they don't even know how to react. They walk away and then they walk back to the door and they say, ‘Thank you very much and god bless your family,” said Mr Toptas, who has been living in the UAE for a little over a year.
Born and raised in the Netherlands, the tech expert moved to Dubai to set up a business building software and mobile applications.
“It gives me great motivation to grow in life, grow my business and to do more for other people, not only for myself,” he said. “It’s a way of living. It’s a habit for me to do it now.”
Once he understood the extent of the joy he was spreading, he decided to do more. A few months ago, he gave away about 200 pizzas outside a pizzeria to delivery riders coming in to pick up orders.
Over the past few weeks, he asked restaurants he was ordering from to keep additional meals aside for any delivery rider coming in and has paid for more than 240 dishes, including chicken and rice lunches, breakfast meals and cold drinks.
Mr Toptas now wants delivery riders to choose their own meals that he will pay for, and is looking for a space where he can eat lunch or dinner with about 500 riders.
“I did it randomly before, I would order different kinds of food but I didn’t know if they actually liked it. I want them to have some variety in their meals,” Mr Toptas said. “I want them to order from their own favourite restaurants and would like to eat with them.”
He has learnt that a small gesture goes a long way from their reactions and blessings. His philanthropy goes back to his years in Netherlands when he contributed to charities for clean water supply, building water pumps and health campaigns in Palestine and Africa.
“My message is that you don't need to do a lot to make people happy in life,” he said. “You can start with a small gesture to make a difference, to make people positive in life. You can just give away a bottle of water or a small tip. Then when a lot of people do it, we make a big difference in the country. Even a kind word can make someone's day better. So if you get a chance, do it if it's possible for you. It makes a big difference, and it also makes you very happy in life.”
Spreading cheer
Majid Pervaiz, 26, from Pakistan, who has been working as a delivery rider for seven years, received a meal from Mr Toptas.
“One day when I got an order, I reached the restaurant and they gave me a meal of rice and chicken and a cold drink. This was not just for me but for many riders who were also there. I really enjoyed eating that meal. I’m very happy about this and hope this person continues to succeed in life.”
Careem said it was heartwarming to see the impact of Mr Toptas’s gesture. “We genuinely believe doing good is contagious and Tarik is proof of that,” said Nourhan Farhat, vice president of marketplace businesses at Careem. “Captains are the heart of Careem and we are always grateful when customers show appreciation for their incredible work.”
