Murat Yavuz (front left), a Hillsboro UPS delivery driver from Turkey, worked with his employers and a network of local Turkish American organizations to deliver 16 pallets of emergency supplies to his native country after the region was struck by an earthquake in February 2023.
A group of local volunteers loaded up a UPS truck in Hillsboro that Murat Yavuz, a delivery driver, drove up to Seattle to be shipped to Turkey earthquake victims.
Murat Yavuz (front left), a Hillsboro UPS delivery driver from Turkey, worked with his employers and a network of local Turkish American organizations to deliver 16 pallets of emergency supplies to his native country after the region was struck by an earthquake in February 2023.
Courtesy Photo: UPS
A group of local volunteers loaded up a UPS truck in Hillsboro that Murat Yavuz, a delivery driver, drove up to Seattle to be shipped to Turkey earthquake victims.
When Hillsboro resident and United Parcel Service delivery driver Murat Yavuz learned of the earthquake that struck his native country of Turkey last month, he was instantly motivated to lend aid however he could.
Working with the Oregon Turkish American Association (ORTA) and the Bridge to Türkiye Fund, he helped quickly organize a supply drive to gather essentials like tents, sleeping bags, hygiene products and more to send to those in need.
“We were thinking, ‘Well, what do they need immediately?’” Yavuz said. “Well, shelter first. So, let’s buy or let’s find some tents, some sleeping bags and blankets. Then, our community and our friends from Portland helped us spread the word and get everything together.”
But collecting the stuff is just the first step. How do they get it to Turkey?
Yavuz turned to his boss at the Hillsboro UPS hub for the answer. He said the company quickly donated a truck to the cause and arranged for the supplies to be shipped to Turkey out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
“That’s what friends do for friends, what family does for family,” said Lyle Arnett, manager of the UPS Hillsboro center, in a statement about the donation. “It’s bred in all of us to react like that, and whenever somebody’s in need, that’s what we do.”
Yavuz, who has delivered for UPS since 2009, drove the 16 pallets of supplies north himself.
The shipping company and other organizations helped clear the regulatory hurdles and cover the shipping costs — tens of thousands of dollars’ worth.
UPS also made a $1 million donation to humanitarian efforts in Turkey.
Yavuz grew up in Antalya, Turkey, and emigrated to the United States in 2000. While his hometown escaped the devastation that resulted from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Feb. 6, 2023, near the Syrian border, communities not far east of where he grew up were affected.
Some of the same areas of Turkey that were stricken by the earthquake also suffered flooding brought on by torrential rains this week.
Yavuz says it wouldn’t have mattered to him, or to his network of Turkish Americans who stepped up, where the earthquake hit.
“In Turkey, it’s kind of like it is in New York — if you’re from there, you’re like family,” Yavuz said. “I couldn’t do this by myself. It’s always a network.”
A couple weeks after Yavuz drove the donations to Seattle, he and his friends received a video from volunteers in Turkey thanking them for the supplies. One young girl was holding a stuffed teddy bear that Yavuz remembers loading up in Hillsboro.
“That bear was from my friend’s daughter,” he said. “They sent it with a note saying, ‘I hope this will be your new best friend.’”
Donations for Turkey relief can still be made through ORTA by visiting ortapdx.org.
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