Haddad, president of the Ladies of St. Joseph, said food is a characteristic of home that unites the women.

“The ladies work together so well and we have fun,” Haddad said. “When we’re rolling grape leaves we sing and we talk shawarma and we laugh and we tell jokes. We have a lot of songs in Arabic we listen to, and it takes us back home.”

The event featured Middle Eastern specialties including homemade pastries and hosted raffles and church tours throughout the day.

“(The event) builds a sense of unity and camaraderie,” said Bob Beseda, a volunteer church guide. “(It is) a potential bridge to retaining your ethnic identity.”

Rita Hourani and Dalida Raad have been volunteering at the festival for countless years and said the event is part of an almost lifelong tradition. Both Raad and Hourani are Lebanese and represent the major ethnic block of the church.

Hourani, 22, has been volunteering and attending the event for 14 years.

“It’s an annual event that I’ve been to since I was eight years old, so it’s something that I’ve always been here for,” Hourani said. “I expect to be here every year.”

It’s the gathering with the people that keeps the volunteers and the community members coming back, Raad said.

“I really enjoy seeing people’s support, it’s a really great feeling,” she said.

After volunteering with the festival year after year, Raad said her work is an obligation she has to the other members of the community.
“I belong to this parish,” she said. “It’s my duty.”