Join PAAIA to Give Thanks Persian Style!
By PAAIA Staff
November 16, 2011, Washington, D.C. – For the second year, PAAIA members and the communities in which they reside are coming together to give thanks for the many blessings and opportunities afforded to them by giving back to their communities – Persian Style!
Persian Thanks was implemented by PAAIA chapters nationwide in 2010. As part of the program, PAAIA members and their families identified local shelters and food banks and contributed to them by either collecting and providing money for the purchase of food items or by taking actual food items and serving them at the shelters during Thanksgiving week. Many of the food items were traditional Persian food, which were enthusiastically welcomed and enjoyed by shelter residents. In California alone, nearly 500 individuals were served with food and donations made by 19 restaurants and vendors.
We proudly continue this tradition this year. Many of the PAAIA chapters have mobilized to contribute to the Thanksgiving feast. The PAAIA Sacramento Chapter has already delivered six barrels of clothing, baby food, shoes, etc. and $1400 in cash donation to the Sacramento Food Bank. The PAAIA NY Tri-State Chapter is collecting non-perishable food items at the Shabeh Jomeh NY event being held on Thursday, November 17th between 7 – 10PM at Polar Lounge within the Hotel Marcel. All donations will be given on behalf of the Iranian-American community to the Dwelling Place of New York which provides food, shelter and support services to homeless women. Similarly, the Houston Chapter will be donating food items to a designated homeless shelter. The Bay Area Chapter will be volunteering with The Excelsior Community Food Pantry in San Francisco. Other chapters are also supporting the Persian Thanks program in similar manner. Please see each chapter’s specific information under Chapter Updates of this newsletter.
We encourage you to check out your Chapter’s link under the Chapter Updates section of the newsletter or contact your Chapter leader(s) to find out specific information about how you can contribute to these efforts. This is a unique opportunity to give back to the communities in which you reside and be thankful for the many blessings of the holiday season.
Persian Thanks is a PAAIA program that embraces American culture–Persian style. Starting in 2010, we mobilized PAAIA Chapters nationwide to take Persian food to homeless shelters on Thanksgiving Day–or on any day during the week–and hope that “Persian Thanks Week” will become an Iranian American tradition. This is our way of showing that we are grateful to have a home away from our ancestral homeland, that we care about the less fortunate among us. In lieu of Persian food, PAAIA works with charities that are not able to accept fresh food to donate canned or other non-perishable food items.
If you are an individual, you can join a team at your local PAAIA Chapter. You can contact shelters in your area to arrange for food delivery, or solicit grocery stores and restaurants to donate food; you can help if you’re a good cook, or if you can drive, or if you can write about the event, before, during or after. To join a team, please click here to contact your local Chapter and volunteer to Give Back to America!
If you own a restaurant or a grocery store and would like to donate food to Persian Thanks, or if you are a media agency and would like to help publicize the project gratis, please contact info@45.33.40.89.
All cash and in-kind donations to Persian Thanks are tax-deductible to the extent of the law.
