BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A pair of community groups teamed up to make sure new members of our community feel welcome for the holiday season.
7 News' Pheben Kassahun headed out to the Parkside Lutheran Church Tuesday evening for a special Thanksgiving dinner to find out what it means to them to gather around the table for a special meal.
"We're just excited to break bread together," Parkside Lutheran Church Pastor Jeremiah Smith said.
It is a night focused on food and building relationships, all while sharing a little bit about American Thanksgiving.
50 new Americans from more than 10 countries, sharing a meal tonight at Parkside Lutheran Church.
"I am eager to be American because I know the situation when I was in Israel," Eritrean refugee, Worede Gebremarian told Kassahun.
Worede Gebremariam is Eritrean, who came to America by way of Israel.
He had lived in Israel with his family for more than a decade.
"The last 12 years in Israel, within one month and a half in America, I came here and I joined with the people. I have started to integrate with the whole society from every part of the world," Gebremariam said.
For the second year in a row, the Buffalo church has hosted this special Thanksgiving dinner with the International Institute of Buffalo.
International Institute of Buffalo executive director Jennifer Rizzo-Choi said, "It's always good to sort of introduce them and connect them with communities so that way, if they look for jobs, as they look for friends and their kids schools, as they look for partners they learn more about our community and have those networks."
Volunteers were able to come together and cook the Thanksgiving meals.
Smith added, "With the state of the world, not being siloed in our separate corners and coming together over a meal and just to learn about each other, we just need a whole lot more of that."
it is the beginning of many American holiday firsts for everyone here at the church.
Gebremariam said, "There are a lot of people who need this dinner right now, in every corner of the world in trouble. A lot of people. We pray together to all the other people to have this kind of opportunity."
