Community_Activities

The Queens Baha’i Fundraising Picnic was held on the afternoon of Saturday, August 23, in Forest Park. The picnic, organized by the Queens Feast Area Committee over the past several summers, had this year been scheduled for early August, but had been postponed due to the collective-teaching project begun this summer in Elmhurst, Flatbush, Jackson Heights, and Washington Heights.

The purpose of the picnic was to provide a venue for fellowship and fun among the friends, in particular Baha’i families; and to raise money for the New York City Baha’i Fund. Accordingly, the Sector Committee organized the preparation of delicious food, donated by several of the friends – barbecued chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, Persian rice with vegetables, spicy pasta salad, watermelon, flan, chocolate brownies, and coconut pastries. The servings were “all you can eat,” with a minimum charge of $15 per person. Funds were also raised through the sale of “gently used” items donated by some of the friends and sold toward the end of the picnic. The amount raised for the local Baha’i fund was $660. The picnic got into full swing at about 2 pm, and ended at 8:30. Aside from enjoying the food and one another’s company, time was spent by some in animated discussion, one group of adults engaging in an exploration of topics from the Writings for example, a meditation on the destiny of the soul, over brownies). In contrast, several others were engaged in more vigorous fellowship at the volleyball net, about which event there were unconfirmed reports of creative application of the official rules.

While most of the attendees were residents of Queens, there were also visitors from the Bronx, China, Iran, and Korea. In all, the picnic was attended by forty people, eight of whom were adult non-Baha’is, and including eight young children, the youngest being four-month-old Mateen Pourjafar, who could not be reached for comment.