International Food Festival Raises Funds for Disaster Relief
Contributed by Luke Higuchi
The International Food Festival held every year by New Jersey Unificationists this year included a fundraising campaign for victims of recent hurricanes.
More than 2,000 people came to the festival, which took place at Van Saun County Park in Bergen County, New Jersey, on Sunday, September 24, 2017.
The festival has been conducted by the Japanese-US Alliance of New Jersey for many years. A lot of different food vendors participated this year, selling Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese and Korean food. There were also several non-food vendors, such as a travel agency, an insurance company, and the New Jersey chapter of the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP).
Joyful entertainment included performances of dance and Japanese drumming, as well as a guitar solo from Sung Hoon Jung, a student at Bridgeport International Academy.
A well-known J-Pop artist from Japan, Ms. Kana Uemura, was the special guest artist. Many Japanese residents came to watch her perform.
The Korean Japanese Family Association was fundraising for disaster relief for hurricane victims. They decided to donate the money they collected to the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF), which True Parents founded in 1976.
Members of the Korean Japanese Family Association are blessed couples living in New York and New Jersey in which a Japanese and a Korean are married together. These couples are from the 6,000-, 6,500-, and 30,000-couple Blessings, as well as Unificationist-born couples.
The association’s members are well organized and united to prepare food and serve the community well. President Man Soo Chung said: “We participate in this Food Festival every year, but this year our members were even more motivated to raise funds for IRFF’s disaster relief. I felt that our spirit is always to live for the sake of others, which True Parents taught us. That is our root.”
A member of the executive board of the Japanese-US Alliance of New Jersey said: “We are so happy to work together with different ethnic groups. We as a Japanese community want to have an open mind to understand each different culture. We will continue to serve the community of New Jersey and do our best for the sake of others.”
Go to http://irff.us and donate, volunteer, or send a recovery kit for disaster relief today!