Church World Service (CWS) Harrisburg's third annual International Friendsgiving: A Culturally Diverse Feast To-Go will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23. Five-course takeout meals will be available from 2 to 5 p.m. The event offers an opportunity for people to celebrate the cultures of Belarus, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Sudan, and Syria through a meal and learn about the recipe creators' countries of origin. The recipes were developed by five woman refugees residing in the Harrisburg area, all of whom are participants in CWS Marketplace: Economic Empowerment for Refugee Women.

CWS Harrisburg's mission is to help refugees resettle, form long-lasting relationships in the community, and meet their own basic needs in a sustainable lifestyle. This fundraiser supports flexible funding such as housing, transportation, and other urgent needs for CWS' clients.

Meals must be preordered at http://www.cwsharrisburg.org/friendsgiving/. Purchases of 10 or more meals will be discounted. Purchasers must select their pickup location at either Hadee Mosque, 245 Division St., Harrisburg, or Carlisle United Methodist Church, 333 S. Spring Garden St., Carlisle, upon checkout and may also donate additional funds in the order.

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank supported the event by offering its Learning Kitchen as the venue for the refugees to test their recipes.

To donate to the event, email harrisburg@cwsglobal.com or visit http://www.cwsharrisburg.org/donate/.

CWS Harrisburg opened in March 2022 to welcome and support refugee and immigrant neighbors. Through partnerships with faith groups, organizations, and individuals, CWS Harrisburg serves as a bridge to help individuals and families transition from their former lives to self-sufficiency in their new homes. Services include housing, English and cultural orientation classes, school registration, employment assistance, and medical appointments.

CWS Harrisburg has welcomed and supported refugees and asylum-seekers from more than 16 countries, including Syria, Afghanistan, Guatemala, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For more information about CWS Harrisburg and to volunteer, visit http://www.cwsharrisburg.org, follow @cwsharrisburg on social media, or call 717-358-9351.

Church World Service, an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in New York City, is a faith-based organization that seeks to transform communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement, and disaster. To learn more, visit http://www.cwsglobal.org.