16 Feb 2015
The founder and CEO of Chobani, based out of Chenango County, has pledged to give $2 million to Iraqi and Syrian refugees along the Turkish border. Hamdi Ulukaya, a Turkish native who came to the U.S. in the 1990s, is making donations to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Rescue Committee (IRC), according to a news release sent Thursday. We have a moral responsibility to help innocent victims of violence, wherever they are and however we can,” said Ulukaya. “These refugees have seen the darkest side of humanity and we must open our hearts as they look to rebuild their lives.” His donation is one of the largest personal contributions given in the effort.