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St. Charles hosts Taste of Faith
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Betsy Schenk, Girard First United Methodist Church, prepares bowls of stuffed pepper soup. She is one of the many who participated in the Taste of the Faiths Festival Monday.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Boardman's Bob Fry (left) with wife Sheila Fry enjoying an array menu of foods at the Taste of Faith Festival. Each organization represented were asked to prepare 100 serving of food for guests to sample.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .The Mahoning Valley Button Box Band provided musical entertainment at the Taste of the Faiths Festival Monday. All proceeds raised from the event go to the Mahoning Valley Association of Churches.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Riman Maali (left) and sister Manal Hamdan brought stuffed grape leaves and baklava for add to the menu of the Taste of Faith Festival held Monday. They are representatives of the Islamic Society of Greater Youngstown.
The Mahoning Valley Association of Churches sponsored its annual Taste of Faith April 26 at St. Charles Church to raise funds and unite the area’s faith organizations.
The association encompasses more than 50 organizations and stretches throughout Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
Monica Spelich, the association’s secretary, says the festival is used as a means for networking. It allows Christian organizations, varying in denominations, to unite with other public organizations for a common cause.
“We are a Christian organization, but we believe in everyone working together for the common good,” she said.
Members of the group were asked to prepare two dishes with each serving 50 people or one dish providing 100 servings.
Each organization was assigned a table where they displayed their organization name and dish of choice.
The festival is an annual event at St. Charles, though the dates vary from year to year. Spelich says they try to choose dates that are directly after Lent and Easter Sunday.
Jacqueline Harris, of Boardman, said it was her second year attending the Taste of Faith Festival. She enjoys the variety of foods that are available.
“I just never know what to expect,” Harris said. “They have different dishes each year.”
Food dishes ranged from peach cobblers and chicken casserole to Scottish shortbread and apricot Kugel. Nineteen organizations participated in the fundraiser with more than 30 different dishes prepared.
Live entertainment was provided by the Mahoning Valley Button Box Club. The polka bank played several musical selections as guests visited the food stations and filled their trays with samples.
A bidding auction, silent auction and 50/50 raffle were also a part of the evening’s festivities.