US, Turkish charities hold blanket drive

International nonprofit Kimse Yok Mu continues its humanitarian aid campaign in Gaza which was hit severely by floods.
International nonprofit Kimse Yok Mu continues its humanitarian aid campaign in Gaza which was hit severely by floods.


Date posted: December 6, 0204

In a joint campaign, the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), the American Turkish Friendship Association (AFTA) and Embrace Relief held a blanket drive for Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the US on Thursday and collected 25,000 blankets, which will soon be shipped to Turkey.

The drive, which was held last year as well, was also able to raise $100,000 in donations in addition to the 25,000 blankets, a 38 percent increase compared to last year’s drive. In recent years the joint campaign has collected more than 40,000 blankets and donations of around $115,000.

“Northern Virginia residents and businesses have once again risen to the challenge to help us provide humanitarian relief to those folks who have fled their homes due to the Civil War in Syria and the violence related to ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] in the region,” said NVRC Executive Director Mark Gibb during the drive on Thursday.

Gibb expressed gratitude for everyone’s support, including people at the Paxton and Maersk shipping firms who donated their services to truck and ship the blankets.

As part of the campaign, a website was established, www.helpsyrianrefugees.us, to help publicize the blanket drive. Reportedly, in a 45-day period the website had more than 8,000 views.

The blankets will be trucked to Norfolk, Virginia, to be loaded on a Maersk freighter, which will depart Norfolk for the port city of Mersin, where the blankets will be offloaded and distributed to refugees in camps and in the community.

This year’s blanket drive campaign was co-chaired by Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chairman (BOS) Sharon Bulova, Arlington BOS Chairman Jay Fisette, Prince William BOS Chairman Corey Stewart, Loudoun BOS Chairman Scott York and Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille.

During the drive, Bob Lazaro, director of regional energy planning at the NVRC, on his Twitter account expressed appreciation in Turkish for the efforts of the Turkish aid organization Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There), which helped with the organization of the campaign.

Source: Today's Zaman , December 5, 2014

Tags: | | |


Related News

Kimse Yok Mu opens school for Syrian children

A protocol signed between the Arbil Governorate and the aid organization in November, the school, which has 12 classrooms and 1,000 square meters of space, was built in the region of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for refugees who fled Syria. The school will be administered under the Arbil Governorate, according to information obtained from the Ankara office of Kimse Yok Mu.

US law professor: Erdoğan’s talk of Gülen extradition ‘foolishness’

Jim Harrington, a US human rights attorney and University of Texas professor, has said that any talk of asking the United States to extradite Turkish-Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen to Turkey is “foolish, absurd and self-serving.”

Turkish charities ready to deliver aid during Eid al-Adha

Various Turkish charity organizations have wrapped up their preparations to deliver aid, including sacrificial meat and other forms of assistance, to people in need across Turkey and around the world during Eid al-Adha, an Islamic holiday celebrated by millions around the globe. Turkish charities are especially busy during the Eid al-Adha season, collecting money and sacrificing animals, packaging the meat and distributing it to the less fortunate.

Samples of Kimse Yok Mu Ramadan Aid Activities Worldwide (I)

Kimse Yok Mu, set to reach out to 103 countries as a part of its Ramadan campaign, has launched the food aid deliveries. Aid packages delivered to Yemen One of the target countries was Yemen. The foundation provided food aid to hundreds by distributing food packages in Yemen. The volunteers from Turkey personally went from […]

Hizmet Symposium: Academics Foster Peacebuilding Advocacy

Hizmet, or service, is one of the largest social movements in the world. The Rumi Forum organized an international symposium called the “Hizmet Movement and Peacebuilding for Global Cases” at the National Press Club Ballroom in Washington D.C. Academics and scientists from more than 20 countries presented topics covering the impact of Hizmet Movement to […]

A Cry of the Heart for the Victims of Hurricane Katrina

Fethullah Gulen, the Turkish Islamic Scholar calls all Muslims for helping victims of Katrina Hurricane. “My thoughts are with everyone affected by Hurricane Katrina, the United State’s worst hurricane disaster in a century, the magnitude of which is being realized more and more with every passing day. I fully expect that Muslims all around the […]

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Vague terrorism charge used to target supporters of the Gülen movement: UN special rapporteurs

Kimse Yok Mu delegation visited the President of Somalia

Turkish entrepreneurs open second school in Cambodia

Kimse Yok Mu and MASFED to open hospital in Ethiopia

Gülen issues condolence message for Iraqi victims of ISIL

Scholars: Hizmet efforts to build schools will not stop

Senegalese deputies say Turkish schools taught them fraternity

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News