Ahmet Kaplan
17 April 2020•Update: 17 April 2020
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey
A baker in southeastern Turkey has taken upon himself the task of distributing 1,000 loaves of bread daily to families in need amid the coronavirus lockdown.
Cetin Dogru, who has a bakery in Kayapinar district of Diyarbakir province, started this charitable act 10 days ago.
He said many businesses have temporarily shut down due to measures the government has taken to curb the spread of the virus.
The baker also hired four people who had been affected by recent lay offs.
“After we started giving free bread, we had to up our produce. So we bake 2,000 loaves in two shifts every day.”
He said he will continue this initiative during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Eid holiday. Ramadan is due to start on April 24.
Dogru’s act of kindness is catching on, as Mesut Olgen, a worker in the bakery, said he has volunteered to work for two extra hours.
“Life is good when we share it, we also wanted to contribute to it,” Olgen added.
So far, the novel coronavirus has claimed 1,643 lives in Turkey, with registered cases topping 74,000.
After originating in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world.
Over 2.16 million people have been infected worldwide while nearly 556,000 people recovered from the disease, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. Over 146,000 have died.
Despite the rising number of cases, most people who are infected suffer only mild symptoms and make a recovery.
*Writing by Seda Sevencan
