English club Arsenal’s star Mesut Özil has donated 713,000 Turkish liras ($101,000) to the Turkish Red Crescent in response to a funding drive coinciding with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
The money will be used to provide iftar – the evening meal at which fasting is broken at the end of the day – to 16,000 people in Turkey, according to the group.
Families in Turkey and Syria will be able to receive 2,000 food packages thanks to Özil’s donation, while 90,000 iftar packages will be distributed in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.
In total, 114 thousand people will receive aid with the donation.
"At the Red Crescent, we stand by those in need 365 days a year. Of course, we do this thanks to donations made by philanthropist friends who follow our work. As donations increase, we will be able to reach even more people in need," said Kerem Kınık, head of the Turkish Red Crescent, while thanking the London-based footballer for the donation.
"Thanks to our brother Mesut, we will be able to deliver packages provided to people in need – delivering them as soon as possible,” he said.
