CARLSBAD — Carlsbad resident Sasha Bilar has always counted on her friends to help make her philanthropic trips to her native Thailand a possibility. This year, more than 300 of Bilar’s friends came out to the Taste of Thailand fundraiser held at the Carlsbad Senior Center on May 9, not only for the food and the culture, but for the opportunity to support a worthy cause.

For $30, attendees of the second annual Taste of Thailand event enjoyed the most celebrated dishes from 15 of the county’s Thai restaurants. There were also professional masseuses, fortune tellers and a troupe of dancers resplendent in native costume in attendance.

Money raised at the event went to the nonprofit charity Toys for Thailand, which started out as a group of girlfriends working together at Palomar College. The charity was formally created after the devastating tsunami of 2004 to relieve the poorest children of Thailand by bringing them toys and other gifts.

According to Bilar, co-director with the International Humanities Center, even a single stuffed animal can help an orphan brave an otherwise intolerable life.

“These kids have nothing. Sometimes kids can’t express their problems on the adult level. They release their feelings to the stuffed toys,” Bilar said.

“We fell in love with the children and decided we had to help them more. They’re going to be orphans forever,” Maria Miller, co-director with the International Humanities Center, said. “This event is really about helping children without mothers on Mother’s Day.”

For event master of ceremonies Phoebe Chongchua, the event was also about spreading awareness that a problem even exists.

“I think that there’s people who just don’t understand how much is needed in that area. ... You really don’t understand the devastation until you see the pictures,” Chongchua said. “It’s near and dear to my heart. Being half-Thai, it’s very important that I give back to the country my father was born in.”

The charity will be traveling to an orphanage in Northern Thailand this June. The converted monastery is one of the few places in Thailand that is sheltering refugees from nearby Myanmar.

“This year we’re bringing toys, but we’re also building toilets. They have 10 toilets for 500 children,” Miller said.

Bilar believes her charity’s efforts have a lasting effect on both donors and recipients.

“We hear about atrocities and bad news every day,” Bilar said. “It just kind of adds a little sunshine to people’s life to have a group of people trying to help children. These children will either grow up to be good citizens or the problems of society. It depends on how they receive the energy from the world.”

For more information, contact Maria Miller at (760) 529-3739 or visit www.toysforthailand.org.