This just-married Turkish couple gave 4,000 Syrian refugees an incredible gift
The Turkish border town of Kilis is home to tens of thousands of refugees who are fleeing war-torn Syria.
Last Thursday, it also became the setting for an act of kindness that's gone viral.
Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu and Esra Polat, just married, decided that instead of spending their families' savings on a banquet for their wedding guests, they would instead donate the money to feed 4,000 refugees in Kilis.
The Turkish charity Kimse Yok Mu tweeted two photos of the couple on Monday, and the images quickly spread on Instagram and on Facebook.
A spokeswoman for KYM told The Washington Post said that the idea came from the groom's father, Ali Üzümcüoğlu, who is an active volunteer with the organization.
Üzümcüoğlu thought that hosting a banquet for family and friends was "unnecessary" when people living "next door" were in need of food. He presented the idea to his son, who agreed.
"I’m very happy that he accepted it and they started their new happy journey with such a selfless action," the father said, according to KYM spokeswoman Hatice Avci.
The relief organization operates a mobile soup kitchen in Kilis that serves about 4,000 refugees every day. The Turkey-based organization operates in more than 110 countries and has partnered with the United Nations on projects to help Syrian refugees.
According to the United Nations, Turkey has hosted more than a million Syrian refugees since the conflict began there in 2011.
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