Albanian American Open Hand Association Volunteers Honored on 8th Anniversary

June 11, 2022

By SÍLE MOLONEY via Norwood News

The American Albanian Open Hand Association (AAOHA) held a celebration on May 14 on the occasion of the nonprofit’s 8th anniversary to honor the various volunteers who give up their free time to support the association’s ongoing work in the community. AAOHA president and founder, Aleksander Nilaj, invited all volunteers who had worked with him for the last 8 years to the event, held at 2134 Barnes Avenue in the Pelham Parkway section of The Bronx, where over 20 volunteers were recognized and honored on the night.

Nilaj told Norwood News, “We’ve been able to give many, many boxes of food outside, especially during the pandemic. We started giving meals. We’ve given one million boxes of meals, and we’ve given 227,000 boxes of produce also during pandemic time.” He added, “Plus, we have, every week, once a week, a food pantry or a vegetable and deli kind of food that’s been going on for many years, with all these boxes and during [the] pandemic, which has been around 10,000 people each week.”