A kind-hearted Fife shopkeeper has been hailed a hero after coming to the rescue of a stricken mum and her new born baby after she was left unable to buy baby milk because of panic stockpiling.
Assif Akhter and his wife Abda, whose family have run the Premier Local store in the Smeaton area of Kirkcaldy for over 40 years, were told of the young mum’s desperate situation by a customer and how she had tried in vein to find the required baby milk formula.
And with the lady’s plight becoming ever more serious, Mr Akhter’s swift action contacting wholesalers and suppliers was enough to track down the much needed milk supplement and just in the nick of time.
“As a father of three children myself I can well remember how much of an already anxious time it is for new parents but to have that extra stress and panic was something that really shocked and appalled me,” Mr Akhter explained.
“I didn’t know the lady concerned but knew I just had to act and act fast.
“And it’s a good job I did as I ended up finding the last two tins of the required milk at a wholesaler who certainly would have sold them minutes later had I not got to them first.
Mr Akhter even refused to take payment for the items when the mum came to collect saying it had just been satisfying to be of help in such an emergency.
“It was the least I could of done for the lady and was happy to do so, the look of sheer relief on her face was all the payment I needed,” said the 40-year-old shopkeeper.
“I’ve been shocked by the panic buying and stockpiling you hear about and even more disappointed by the tales of some retailers massively inflating their prices which is just wrong.
“Smeaton is a close knit community that looks after its own and I’m proud to be part of that.”
And Smeaton residents have been quick to praise the Akhter family after news of the mercy mission got round.
Vicki Lister, the customer who raised the alarm with Mr Akhter, said she had cried after hearing of the young mum’s plight and has cried again after learning of what the shopkeeper had done.
She said: “Hearing of how a woman has just had a baby and to leave the maternity hospital and unable to get baby food this ripped my heart out so spoke to my local shop keeper Assif who not only sourced the baby food but also donated it for free.
“That shows you just how fantastic the family are and they have been helping many of the elderly during the crisis too.
“They are always at the heart of the community spirit and just goes to prove that not all heroes wear capes.”
