At the JF&CS Annual Meeting , don’t miss Sanctuary & Sustenance: the Story of Many Journeys

If you are a client, volunteer, member of the staff, donor or just a community friend of Jewish Family & Children’s Service, we hope you will join us at our Annual Meeting onThursday, May 19th at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill. This meeting is free and open to all. Please be sure to register here or by calling Elaine at 412-586-3777 or emailing edalfen@jfcspgh.org.

The relationship we have with our community is at the heart of our work. Over the years, we have shaped the direction of JF&CS according to the changing needs we see around us. We see hunger, and so we keep the Squirrel Hill Community Food Pantry going. We know the community is growing older, so we have expanded elder services. In our fast-moving world, somebody is often losing their livelihood and needs a job; hence the Career Development Center. Our neighborhood is changing and growing, and we welcome everyone who walks through our door. All this in the name of being there to lend a hand in times of change and challenge.

Our Annual Meeting is our open invitation to the entire community to come see and hear about what we’re doing, acknowledge our successes and learn how we plan to move forward. 

This year’s “Diversity and Inclusion” theme sums up a core value about the people we serve, and how we feel about the culturally rich community we live in.

Last week we told you a little about Sanctuary & Sustenance: The Story of Many Journeys, a multimedia presentation with images and music and a photography exhibition offering a glimpse into the lives of refugees from around the world. JF&CS is co-presenting the exhibit at the American Jewish Museum of the JCC, with a free reception onWednesday, May 18th from 7-9 p.m., featuring music and dance traditions of Pittsburgh’s African and Bhutanese communities.

More than 60 million people are without a permanent country to call home. These refugees have fled their homelands because of war or persecution. Through photography, music, and dance, Sanctuary & Sustenance tells the story of their journeys.

Focusing on Bhutanese refugee resettlement in Pittsburgh from 2014-2016, Sanctuary & Sustenance features images by photojournalist Julia Rendleman. Her compositions trace the journey during catastrophic events of displacement, the path to sanctuary, and the process of rebuilding life in Pittsburgh.

The project includes a multimedia projection created by Artworks Projects for Human Rights comprised of images and music documenting the lives of people from around the world forced to flee their homes. 

Sanctuary & Sustenance aims to raise the public consciousness of these critical issues to a wide variety of people and spark conversations about our collective responsibility to welcome refugees and encourage policy makers to act in favor of fundamental human rights for refugees and asylum seekers.

On Thursday, May 19th, the JF&CS Annual Meeting reception begins at 6:30 p.m. with an appetizer & dessert buffet, (kosher dietary laws observed) and live music featuring the band Machete Kisumontao (a Puerto Rican band from Pittsburgh that blends Puerto Rican rhythms and Afro-Latino beats). During the reception, the Sanctuary & Sustenance exhibit will be open, and JF&CS staff from the refugee and immigrant services program will be on hand to answer questions about our work in refugee resettlement. The evening’s program begins at 7:00 pm.

Please RSVP to the Annual Meeting by calling 412-586-3777 or emailing or emailing edalfen@jfcspgh.org. We encourage you to see this exhibit and come to both events next week!