During the recent month we have heard, thought, felt many of the shortcomings and the discomforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic that has global dimensions and continues to spread at fast rates. However how many of us have remembered the grace, hidden in this state of emergency, and have taken advantage of the opportunities which it offers to us?! By the will of the Almighty Allah, the pandemic in Bulgaria came upon us in a very special period, and exactly – the period of the three graceful months… And as Muslims we have to think also about the blessed opportunities from which we can benefit… Here is a wonderful example for the initiative of Burhan Nemutlu in the benefit of the people in need, which was launched just few days ago in our country…

Nemutlu is a Turkish businessman with Bulgarian origin, who has been dealing with hotel business in Bansko for many years. This person began a noble initiative in the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the resort town. In the framework of his initiative, which was called “Hot meal in difficult times”, his hotel everyday provides and delivers hot meals to the people in difficult situation in the conditions of the announced quarantine in the resort town.

Immediately after the announcement of the state of emergency in the country, Nemutlu by his own decision closed his hotel in Bansko for other guests in order to ensure the safety of his personnel and clients in the conditions of the already spreading in our country virus COVID-19. A little later, thinking how to help the local people in the conditions of restrictions and social exclusion, was born the idea together with the chef of the hotel Selvet Lyutova personally to prepare hot meals for the people in need in Bansko. So already several days now, 60 people in the resort town every day receive deliveries of hot meals in their homes. It is planned that the deliveries will be done by the end of the announced 14-day quarantine.

“In order to implement this social initiative, we are partnering with the Municipality of Bansko. The food is distributed with the assistance of the Municipality, by providing information about the people who are in need and need hot and freshly prepared meals.” – the businessman Burhan Nemutlu said on BTV few days ago. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the chef in his hotel, Selvet Lyutova, who, in the name of the noble initiative, decided to be far from her own family in order to help the needy people.

The undertaken initiative every day finds more and more support on behalf of other businessmen in the region. As a result, the ideas for charity initiatives are growing. One of them is to initiate a campaign for donation of food products and money, that will also be distributed to the needy people in the region.

Burhan Nemutlu was born in Shumen, but in 1989 his family immigrated to the city of Istanbul in neighboring Turkey. For more than ten years he has been managing his hotel business in the resort of Bansko in our country. His initiative “Hot meals in difficult times” is just a vivid and recent example from our latitudes that the situation of the pandemic does not restrict us only, but also gives us freedom – unlimited freedom to do good deeds and to get closer to our Creator!

Author: L. Chausheva

Photo: Anadolu Agency