Cycling 12 km for a Warm Meal and a Warmer Heart

Every day, 70-year-old Sevak Vardanyan hops on his bicycle and pedals 12 km back and forth to get to FAR’s Nishan and Margrit Atinizian Senior Center from Akhuryan village of Shirak province. This has been his daily route for a few months now, ever since he discovered the soup kitchen and found a new sense of purpose in his otherwise lonely days. 

FAR’s Nishan and Margrit Atinizian Senior Center in Gyumri serves hot and nutritious meals five days a week to around 150 elderly people. It not only provides them with daily food but also creates a warm and welcoming environment for communication and friendship, since many of them live alone. In addition, individual cards are provided so they can use the public bathhouse and take care of their hygiene needs.

“Even if I didn’t have my bike, I’d walk. Staying active keeps me healthy, and the meals here taste like home. Sometimes when I eat elsewhere, I don’t feel right afterward. But here, I always feel good. I haven’t had food this good since my mother used to cook,” he frankly notes.

After the devastating earthquake in 1988, Sevak spent years living with relatives before settling back in his village, where he has now lived alone for seven years. Two months ago, a neighbor told him about the soup kitchen, and he’s been coming ever since. While the soup kitchen also helps him save a little from his modest pension for the cold months ahead. 

“Starting in spring, I try to save part of my pension,” he explains. “So when October comes, I can pay for heating and keep my home warm.”

Throughout his life, Sevak worked many jobs, as an electrician, a laborer, but one passion has always nourished his soul: woodcarving. He works with different kinds of wood, often drawing inspiration from biblical themes. While in his quiet evenings, Sevak also turns to poetry, often writing about the struggle between light and darkness, between good and evil; a struggle in which good always triumphs.

When night falls and I can’t sleep,

My thoughts run strong, my heart runs deep.

Even if I stand alone,

Tired, but strong, on my own —

I will rise and join the fight,

My final fight against the darkness,

That turns the day to an endless night.

“When I carve, I find peace. When I write, I think of good that will always win. That’s what the Bible tells us.” he concludes.

To help more seniors receive not just nutritious meals but also a sense of belonging, dignity, and hope, consider donating to FAR today.