DRS Volunteer, "President" Zak, hits the headlines!
Long term DRS Volunteer and Deputy Premises Manager, Zak. is making the most of his time during lockdown doing what he does best….helping others.
Here’s the full story from the Nottingham Post, 16th May….
The asylum seeker who has been delivering food to vulnerable people in Nottingham during lockdown
An asylum seeker has opened up on what motivates him to help feed vulnerable people in Nottingham, some of whom he has seen "struggling" while out delivering food parcels.Zak Mohammed, has spent the last six weeks of lockdown delivering food parcels with HOPE Nottingham -a food bank in Beeston - and helping others is keeping Zak 'happy and busy' during the current pandemic.
He has described Nottingham as somewhere that feels "a good place to be" and he thinks now it is "even more important" to assist those in need given how challenging a time it is for some.
The 36-year-old came to UK in October 2015 from East Africa and has chosen not to speak about his past experiences before then as they are too traumatic for him to revisit.
Zak, who is currently living in Beeston, said: "I've been working with HOPE Nottingham food bank for the last 6 weeks doing deliveries. We are starting at 9.30am five days a week and we're out for around three hours."We help put the food parcels together at the food bank and then deliver it to the houses of people who need it."I've been looking for something to do to make friends and giving food to others makes me very happy. To help people by feeding them keeps me busy and makes me smile."It's a very hard time right now and I feel it's possible that I can help more with a platform like the food bank. The work we're doing is even more important right now and when we're out, we see people who are really struggling and it's quite sad.
Zak is also a volunteer with Derbyshire Refugee Solidarity - a refugee support group - and normally lives in Matlock. However his housemate there is 77 and having to self-isolate away from others, so Zak has been living with Julie James in Beeston for the last two months.
His keenness for volunteering has seen with give up his time with four different organisations at the same time in the past, including charities focusing on those with disabilities.
Zak - who is a keen runner and a running club member in Derbyshire - added: "Moving country like I did is not so easy because everything is different. Slowly I started to understand though. It's helped me better understand others who are struggling.
"When you don't know anyone and you're waiting for a decision from the Home Office, you need something to do. It's a stressful time and very hard.
"Nottingham is really great, it's nice to go running here or walking. I love going along the River Trent and it just feels like a good place to be."
Julie started doing the deliveries with her car before Zak offered to lend her a hand
The 57-year-old, a former teacher from Beeston who now works as a charity worker, said: "I've known Zak for three years and he is such a lovely person.
"Even when we first met through a charity, he would always be trying to bring other asylum seekers to Derby. It was like he was rescuing them.
"I'm really enjoying living with Zak now. I was on my own for a long time so it's been an adjustment but he helps out a lot in the garden and he loves my dog."
Chris Dilks, coordinator at HOPE Nottingham, said: "Zak has been an incredible help to me.
"His energy is limitless and he has a personality that makes me want him to remain helping us long after this crisis is over. He has been a blessing."
Original story
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/asylum-seeker-who-been-delivering-4134056?fbclid=IwAR33wku6CkRtWEF7n_xHeAcstD678g1M4dwmHNuHPBdrJFqiWgSrCDridGU
