The Alliance, Baylor College of Medicine and World Food Mart Partnered to Host 680 During Annual Refugee Thanksgiving & Health Fair
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michele Cardenas
832-725-9589
mcardenas@thealliancetx.org
The Alliance, Baylor College of Medicine and World Food Mart Partnered to Host 680 During the Annual Refugee Thanksgiving & Health Fair
For many of these Houston newcomers, this is their first Thanksgiving
HOUSTON (November 21, 2023) – The Alliance for Multicultural Community Services, a non-profit organization that welcomes and empowers refugees, immigrants, and underserved residents, is pleased to announce that over 680 participants attended our annual Thanksgiving and Refugee Health Fair on Saturday, November 11, 2023. Through the generous contributions of community partners, all participants received donations of food and winter clothing and had the opportunity to discuss health and wellness in conversations with local healthcare providers.
Dr. Sophia Banu, Director of Psychiatric Services at The Alliance, and her team from Baylor College of Medicine, including health care providers and medical students, talked with participants throughout the day. World Food Mart partnered with the Alliance, through donations and generous discounts, to ensure that 170 families each received a free “Thanksgiving halal chicken,” a bag of rice, ghee, and other items from the Alliance’s foodbank with assistance from ICNA Houston. The celebration, for clients of The Alliance, was made festive by international and multicultural music from a local DJ.
The dedicated team of Alliance staff and volunteers made the event possible. More than 200 staff and volunteers provided transportation, distributed food and clothing, and offered interpretation and translation services throughout the event.
“The Alliance is grateful to work with these wonderful community partners, and to have such caring, dedicated staff and volunteers,” said Miriam Diria, Interim President & CEO and Executive Director of the Center for New Americans at The Alliance. “Everyone who participated embodied the values of the Thanksgiving season through their generous service, and contributed to the whole health and wellness of our client families,” she said.
Special thanks to all of our community partners, Kids Meals, CHEF, BCM PsychMinded, BCM GOBIG, Moms to Moms BCM OIG / Optho, BPSA, BCM Vascular Surgery Group, Students for Refugees, DISCO, Physicians for Human Rights, TCH Mobile Health Clinic, Harris County Public Health Education, City of Houston Health Department, Interfaith Ministries, UT Dental, Link Nonprofit, UH College of Optometry, Legacy Community Health, Valbona Clinic, UH Metro Volunteer Group, CHIP TCH Application Assistance, Dr. Makki (refugee dental health), Dr. Gutierrez Clinic, Debakey High School, TMA, Costco Warehouse, Berg Hospitality, Hungry’s, CustomInk, Panera Bread West U, Hot Bagel Shop, Common Bond – Holcombe and Heights, Farmacia Del Sol, TMA Grant, and many other generous supporters.
About The Alliance: The Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and United Way Partner that creates opportunities for refugees, immigrants, and underserved residents to achieve their goals for self-sufficiency and improve their quality of life. Beyond core refugee settlement, social-educational, and wellness services, The Alliance houses several innovative social enterprises: Alliance Language Network, the Driver’s Education and Mobility Center, and The Community Cloth, a microenterprise initiative for artisan refugee women. www.TheAllianceTX.org.