Masks Donated to the City of Los Angeles on Behalf of Armenia

LOS ANGELES – Consul General of Armenia in Los Angeles announced the donation of 100,000 surgical masks to the City of Los Angeles. The donation will help alleviating the outbreak of COVID-19 in Los Angeles and assisting the city authorities in combating the virus.

This important initiative comes from the well-known Armenian-American philanthropist Jack Youredjian, the Founder and Executive Chairman of Western Drug. Previously, he and his wife Zarig Youredjian implement successful projects in Gyumri – the second largest city in Armenia – helping the earthquake-stricken families with housing as well as empowering many children through academic success, career planning and vocational training.

Through coordination of Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles for International Affairs Ambassador Nina Hachigian and Consul General of Armenia Ambassador Armen Baibourtian, the masks were delivered to relevant authorities in Los Angeles. The surgical masks were provided to medical institutions and vulnerable groups in LA. This initiative highlighted the evolving strong partnership between the second largest city in the U.S. and Armenia, which was elevated with the visit Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Los Angeles in September 2019.

“The fight against COVID-19 has made the world smaller, and people across the planet are joining together to confront this deadly pandemic,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Armenia and Los Angeles share an unbreakable bond — and this generous gift will help protect vulnerable Angelenos and medical workers who are showing incredible courage and extraordinary determination to save lives.”

Los Angeles is home to one of the largest and most dynamic Armenian communities in the world. As an integral part of the city, the Armenian-American community holds pride in being Angelinos and spares no efforts to contribute to its advancement. In commemoration of the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in April 2020, the Armenian-American community of Los Angeles had launched a humanitarian fundraiser “1.5 Million Meals for 1.5 Million Lives” in the framework of “America We Thank You” campaign in support of Feeding America to honor Near East Relief and provide meals to Americans in need during difficult time. The Near East Foundation was the United States’ first congressionally sanctioned non-governmental organization that was able to pool resources to save 132,000 Armenian orphans and establish over 400 refugee processing centers, hospitals, vocational schools, thus greatly contributing to the survival of the Armenian people. As a response to America We Thank you, the Armenian-American community across the country donated more than 5 million meals.