The clerk, Faris Hussain, described finding the woman motionless in the freezing cold.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Inside a small South Fort Worth convenience store, laughter and daily conversation are part of the routine.
Evans Food Mart is where clerk Faris Hussain greets nearly every customer by name. Regulars stop by not just for groceries, but for conversation, familiarity and a sense of belonging.
During this week’s winter storm, that sense of community may have saved a life.
On Friday night, one of his regular customers named Bobbi struggled to walk in the frozen weather.
The following night, another regular rushed into the store with alarming news. Bobbi was lying outside nearby and not moving.
“The second my hands touched her, it was like frozen solid,” he said. “Her body was so stiff.”
He carried Bobbi into the store and worked to warm her up while calling for help. Hussain stayed with her until paramedics arrived.
“She just kept saying, ‘I love you, thank you so much,’” he said.
Emergency responders later told Hussain the extreme cold had put Bobbi in serious danger.
Bobbi is not the only person Hussain has helped during the storm.
Another man named Marlon, who says he has no family and no home, was allowed to come inside the store to warm up after struggling in the freezing temperatures.
“I was falling down and felt like I was going to die,” Marlon said.
He says the corner food mart has become a place of refuge.
“This is all I got,” Marlon said.
Hussain downplays the idea that he is a hero, saying he simply cares about the people around him.
“I love my community and I love Southside Fort Worth,” he said.
For those who rely on Evans Food Mart as more than just a store, that care has made all the difference.
“Wish we had more people like this,” Marlon said. “It’d be a better world.”
Bobbi was taken to the hospital by paramedics. Her condition is unknown.