For the fourth year, staff and volunteers from the International Institute of Buffalo (IIB) and Parkside Lutheran Church provided the first Thanksgiving meal for refugees. The congregation members cooked the turkeys while also assisting with food donations. The dinner was prepared in the afternoon of the event at the Church, located in Buffalo. Between 65 clients, staff, board members, church members, and community members, over 140 people attended this year’s dinner. We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with the church, the local Cub Scout troop that set up the dining room, and also with the local retired Peace Corps volunteers who supported the event.
“For over a century, IIB has helped the foreign-born become part of the community fabric of Western New York, and part of that is learning our traditions and holidays; Thanksgiving is the most American of holidays,” says Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, executive director of the International Institute of Buffalo.
The meal featured traditional American Thanksgiving foods, including turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, corn, and rolls with butter. Desserts included apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies.
In a departure from previous years, a symbolic set table remained empty as a poignant reminder of the refugees and other immigrants who have been shut out, summarily detained, or removed, despite legal authorization to be in the country.
“Following Jesus’ call to welcome strangers, Parkside Lutheran Church stands in communion with the refugees and other foreign-born people who have had so many challenges in the last year,” says Rev. Jeremiah P. Smith, Pastor of Parkside Lutheran Church. “We are in solidarity with them, and are blessed to share this Thanksgiving meal.”
This year, refugee guests hailed from Afghanistan, Burma, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Syria, and Ukraine.
Several local news outlets were on site to cover the festivities, including WGRZ Channel 2. You can watch their coverage by clicking here.
