Chobani Donates to Turkish Refugees

The global stage has just gotten closer to home in the Southern Tier and Central New York.

The Turkish-born Founder of Chobani Yogurt, which has a manufacturing facility in New Berlin, is pledging to send $2 million to help the refugees fleeing the fighting against the Islamic State militants along Turkey's borders with Syria and Iraq.

Hamdi Ulukaya says the initial donations will be earmarked for the International Rescue Committee and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Ulukaya is a Kurd, who was born in Turkey and moved to the United States in the 1990s.

Chobani, LLC, which started in Chenango County in 2007 is now worth over $1 billion in annual sales according to the latest available market estimates.