But once again dark events forced an Armenian family to flee – this time it was the civil war in

Lebanon, which raged for 15 years in the 1970s and 1980s. Meline, her husband, and her daughters, Aline (top right) and Rina (bottom right), escaped the violence in Lebanon and settled in Lexington, MA. What was intended to be a temporary move became a permanent one as the war continued. America

became the family’s new home, and the parents went on to found ADCO Diamond Corp. of

Boston. Since Aleppo is Melo’s birthplace, and home to many Armenians, the Arslanian family

feels a personal obligation to not only raise funds for this community in need, but to make the

American public aware of its existence and plight. Alique Fisher (left), Aline's daughter, organized the first Melo's Kitchen event at her school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which jumpstarted Melo's Kitchen mission to help the Syrian-Armenians in need.