Life has never been easy for Robert. He was in the 7th grade when he dropped out of school to work to help his parents. He found a job at the local post office and delivered letters and newspapers across Gyumri, which was then known as Leninakan.
“Leninakan was different back then—greener, more beautiful. There was no transportation and I used to pack my big backpack with tons of letters and walk around the city. It was hard and tiring,” he said. Robert had that job for 35 years. In 2008, his wife Margot passed away.
Five years ago, he started attending FAR’s Gyumri Atinizian Senior Center, which is part of our Soup Kitchen Program. It’s hard to make ends meet with his pension of just $79 a month, he said.
His first meal was borsch, which is something he clearly remembers. “Now it's even more delicious. Karine is very good at cooking,” he said, speaking of the kitchen’s chef. Today, the soup kitchen has become a second homewhere Robert meets his friends, makes new friends, and can have his one daily hot meal.
“I’m pleased with my life in general,” he said. “Yes, it’s hard, and has been particularly so since my wife’s death, but I try to live, to love and worship because I believe that the biggest value in life is love.”
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