Jackson Free Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Bilal Qizilbash was walking through Smith Park in downtown Jackson when he saw a businessman discard the remains of his lunch into a garbage can.

Seconds later, a man reached into the same garbage can and retrieved the discarded sandwich, sat down and devoured the scraps, likely the homeless man's first food in awhile.

For Qizilbash, the observation with several of his Mississippi College student friends was the beginning of a long road.

"I said this is a problem. This is a first world country, so why is this happening? Why are people hungry?"

His team, who works under the banner of R U Hungry?, started reaching out to the homeless population in parks, under bridges and bus stops across the city.

They soon learned that Smith Park was the ideal location. It was the safest place for the homeless population and others would hear of his efforts, Qizilbash was told.

That's what happened.

Since that day six and a half years ago, he and others have been feeding the homeless in the park every Friday.

The Clarion Ledger is recognizing Qizilbash as its fifth "Community Hero." The Clarion Ledger Community Heroes program is a monthly honor created to recognize unsung heroes around the metro Jackson area.

30,000 MEALS AT SMITH PARK AND COUNTING

In an interview before the spread of coronavirus in Mississippi, Qizilbash talked about the effort of nonprofit, the Draw a Smile Foundation. Normally, he said, they serve 60 to 100 people a week, and more during the summer.

The most his team has served has been about 175 people. It comes to about 30,000 hot meals since they started.

Local restaurants have been involved. The effort is funded by Qizilbash, his team and donations. About $300 to $400 a week is spend on food.

And the weekly recipients get a variety of fare, from kabobs, yellow rice and shawarma from Aladdin Mediterranean Grill, to tacos and burritos from El Centro Grill or pizza, pasta and sandwiches from Sal & Mookies.

Nobody leaves hungry. If the food runs out — it rarely does — pizzas are ordered from the nearby Domino's.

Qizilbash said he wanted to develop a partnership with local restaurants and caterers early on.

"It's not right or fair to put a financial burden on these restaurants. They have to survive, too, so we negotiate on their highest selling items. They give us a discount and we buy it every week," he said.

One local businessman, the owner of Boston Fish Supreme, has refused to take any money, Qizilbash notes.

‘THEY’RE HUNGRY. THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE'

Qizilbash, who is Muslim, doesn't cite any specific religious motivation in his efforts. There are plenty of passages that encourage helping those less fortunate in religious books from all over the world, but it really comes down to something simple, he says.

They're hungry.

"It wasn't a particular religious conviction. It was basically, if you're hungry, why? We're in a world of abundance. I don't understand with the amount of food that's being thrown away, why we have people who are still starving, so it's just the point of basic human decency," he said.

The bigger reality is that his service has inspired hundreds to join him. Even the Jackson Police Department, who monitors his visits for safety, have noticed a change. Now that there is an ample supply of food for people in need on Friday nights, the crime level has dropped substantially in the park. Qizilbash says the police look at that as a success story, one they have no intention of upsetting.

Another small victory: Qizilbash over the years has become close to many of the homeless people he feeds. Some of them rise out of homelessness and begin volunteering their own time and money to help out.

He said he hopes news of what he is doing will simply inspire people not to turn their head and avoid the homeless, but to give them a hand. He remains humble at his team's efforts.

"We're doing what is supposed to be done. Everyone keeps telling me the work I do is exceptional. I don't view it that way. It's a basic human need. So, we should all be approaching it in the same way," he said.

Qizilbash said he will continue feeding until it is no longer needed. He hopes to put himself out of business. Need being what it is, that day appears a long ways off.

Those interested in providing donations or volunteering can contact the Draw a Smile Foundation.

Outside of feeding the homeless, Qizilbash has been feverishly studying the medicinal benefits of the super-food kale. He says his research has found it kills melanoma cancer cells in culture. That led him to another venture. He is also the co-founder and CEO of EasyKale which manufactures the vegetable in a convenient shaker bottle.