HELENA — Many of us are probably finishing up our Thanksgiving leftovers, but if you are tired of turkey, Hands On Global in Helena hosted a traditional Afghani dinner just a couple of days after the holiday.
"We all came and invited people to make some Afghani foods," said Basir Arhamit.
He and his wife were some of the first refugees helped by the Helena Area Refugee Resettlement Team, or HARRT.
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HARRT is a Hands On Global project formed in 2022 after the government's fall in Afghanistan.
On Saturday night, kids painted while their parents cooked the traditional Afghani meal, part of a fundraiser to support HARRT.
"We have some cauliflower, some rice; this is a spinach dish, I think. Then we have some chicken and some fried zucchini and fried veggies. It's all really good," said Dick Weaver, president of Hands On Global in Helena and HARRT.
About 100 Helena community members came together for a silent auction and the meal, with proceeds going to the project's mission.
HARRT's goal is to aid refugees in whatever ways they can, like food, clothing, transportation, educational support, and so much more.
One of the most important things they do is foster relationships, like they did on Saturday night to make community integration easier.
Weaver said, "They're honored to prepare the food for us and to share what they enjoy eating. They also want to become part of our community too, so it helps them both ways. They're meeting people, they're learning about American holidays a bit, and they're sharing their own culture."
HARRT's next event will be a Solstice Concert featuring refugee children from the JAMBO ESL project, an after-school program funded by a United Church of Christ grant.
The concert is on December 21st at St. Paul's United Methodist at 7:00 PM.
