AYF Hosts Holiday Drives

The Armenian Youth Federation hosted several drives this past holiday season. Local chapters collected items such as canned food, clothing and toys in order to help the less fortunate in Armenia, as well as their respective communities.

The Pasadena “Nigol Touman” Chapter held its first-ever canned food drive. Donations were collected at the Pasadena Armenian Center and sent to the Pasadena Union Station and Homeless Shelter.

The San Fernando Valley “Sardarabad” Chapter held its third annual clothing drive to send donations to Armenia. “The clothing drive is a great way to give back to your homeland and send them materials that will truly be useful for them,” said Dickran Khodanian, a member of the “Sardarabad” Chapter. “It’s amazing how all the drop off locations are being filled with clothing in this short period of time. It shows the activeness and willingness to help out Armenia by members of the Armenian community in Southern California.”

In Fresno, the “Kevork Chavoush” Chapter collected toys to be sent to Armenia in their sixth annual toy drive. Each year, the chapter reaches out to local Armenian and non-Armenian businesses to place drop-off boxes in their facilities. This year, with the help of the Burbank “Varak” Chapter, they collected further donations in the Greater Los Angeles area.

“Our purpose was to bring joy to underprivileged children in Armenia,” said Knar Kahkejian of the Fresno chapter. “We achieved that goal by collecting many brand new toys for these children to play with.”

“We would like to thank everyone for their continued support, especially to our fellow Ungers from the Burbank ‘Varak’ chapter,” Kahkejian said. “We appreciate everyone’s help and we thank you all for assisting in our endeavors to bring a smile to the face of a child in Armenia.”

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most influential Armenian-American youth organization in the United States, working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural awareness of Armenian-American youth.