Philly's oldest and largest refugee founded non-profit, SEAMAAC, holds toy drive

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- SEAMAAC stands for the Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition. The non-profit is one of the oldest and largest refugee-founded agencies in Philadelphia. It brings together, and serves, the entire community.

Ayu's journey from Indonesia to the United States is painful to relive. Her parents sent her here against her will. It was 2001. Ayu was a teenager and alone.

"I'm always scared every day. I never live out of country."

She had no money, no heat and no food.

"Every day I think like, I'm gonna live or I'm gonna die that time," she said. "So I found SEAMAAC the first time because I need to learn better English. So I searched, I searched, I'm looking for, and then I found that building in the small street, and it say like it's free for everyone who need it."

SEAMAAC became Ayu's refuge and eventually her place to pay it forward.

SEAMAAC started in 1984 when a wave of refugees from Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam as well as ethnic Chinese and ethnic Hmong settled in Philadelphia.

"So SEAMAAC was an expression of unity amongst these ethnic groups to come together and really share resources and share prosperity," said SEAMAAC CEO Thoai Nguyen.

They have since expanded their mission and the communities they serve.

"Yes, because we do not live in a vacuum."

Every week volunteers provide food to about 8,000 people who line up at its headquarters on Broad Street. They also deliver to close to three hundred families.

"We serve people in need, regardless of where you come from, regardless of race, skin color. We want to make sure that if you are in need there is an organization that has your back," Nguyen said.

About 30-percent of SEAMAAC's clients are black. About 20-percent are white.

"You know you're in line," he said. "I'm Vietnamese, you might have an African American family in front of you and a white family behind you, and they talk to each other. They build relationship, build fellowship and those are more important today than ever in this country."

SEAMAAC also organizes annual coat, diaper and toy drives.

"During the pandemic, we realized that so many families were in desperate need of a little bit of joy in their lives," he said.

For this year's holiday toy drive, it's partnering with Sabbatical Beauty, which hand makes and sells skincare products in the Bok Building in South Philadelphia where SEAMAAC runs a free health clinic.

"If you donate to us 20 dollars. So 20 dollars is enough to get a toy for one child. We will pass it along to SEAMAAC, and we will also give you a 20 dollar credit to shop with us with no minimum spend," said Adeline Koh of Sabbatical Beauty.

Anyone can donate and anyone can pick up a toy.

Ay Yu's son, Zachary, received a toy last year.

"Joy you know. He love it, he memorize it, he remember that," she said.

And Ayu will take her son to the toy drive once again this year. There are a number of donation drop-off points or you can order from SEAMAAC's Amazon wish list.