There will be one event during each of the four months of the campaign.

• On March 25th, the campaign will launch with a SolidariTea gathering featuring Ruth Messinger, President of AJWS and Rev. Chloe Breyer, Exec. Director of ICNY.

• In April, each congregation will mark World Malaria Day.

• In May, members of all congregations will participate in Solidarity Through Service, a day of neighborhood-based volunteering.

• And in June, the campaign will culminate with an Empty Bowl Dinner to raise awareness and funds  for the famine in East Africa. The event will celebrate the collective impact of the member congregations and feature local artists.

Anyone is welcome to join and participate. Learn more about Faiths Act and the Spring of Solidarity campaign at www.unitedsikhs.org/solidarity.

To get your congregation or community involved and/or volunteer as an individual, please contact Hannah Shirey at hannah.shirey@unitedsikhs.org or Nomi Teutsch at nomi.teutsch@unitedsikhs.org.

For Immediate Release

WHAT:

Catholics and Muslims share a common commitment to ending hunger and caring for neighbors in need.   And in this difficult economic period, when lines at pantries and soup kitchens have only grown, working together is essential.   In a gesture of good will and shared purpose, on February 13^th, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York (CC) will present a portion of its food drive collection, Feeding Our Neighbors, to Muslim Women’s Institute.  The collection comes from generous parishioners all across the Archdiocese of New York.

In the Bronx, Catholic Charities pantries and Muslim pantries have been working an in an interfaith partnership for the past two years, learning and serving together.  The partnership evolved with support from the GHR Foundation and the Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY).  ICNY brought together major partners in the effort including Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, Harlem Vicariate, Miraj Islamic School, Muslim Women’s Institute, Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood, Aqsa Mosque and Touba Mosque.

Monsignor Sullivan states, “The feeding our neighbor campaign was a Catholic response that collected food and funds for more than 575,000 meals to help meet the heightened demand for food at emergency food programs.  This food will be used to feed our neighbors – non Catholics and Catholics alike.  We are so pleased to support the Community Food Pantry in Highbridge.”

Nurah Amatullah, Executive Director of Muslim Women’s Institute notes with gratitude, “It’s a good thing when we share resources- we know our purpose is the same: to assist the Highbridge Community in meeting their basic needs.”

WHO:

• Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York
• Jeanne McGettigan, Coordinator of Emergency Food Program, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York
• Nurah Amatullah, D. Min., Executive Director of the Muslim Women’s Institute for Research and Development (MWIRD), Bronx, New York
• Fr. Joseph E. Franco, Pastor of Sacred Heart and St. Francis of Assisi in Highbridge

WHERE & WHEN:

Muslim Women’s Institute Community Food Pantry at Highbridge, 1262 Ogden Avenue, Bronx, NY 10452

CONTACTS

Nurah Amatullah, D.Min., Muslim Women’s Institute for Research and Development, 1-718-960-2262 mwirdcd@yahoo.com

Jeanne McGettigan, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, (212) 371-1011 x2481, jeanne.mcgettigan@archny.org

The study, to be released on Wednesday, found that 20 Muslim Americans were charged in violent plots or attacks in 2011, down from 26 in 2010 and a spike of 47 in 2009.

Access the full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/us/radical-muslim-americans-pose-little-threat-study-says.html?_r=2&hp

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/1/27/nypd_commissioner_ray_kelly_urged_to

The Interfaith Center of New York’s Executive Director, Reverend Chloe Breyer, appears in the video at 18:56, making the following statement:

“We were so disappointed to hear that 1,489 members of the NYPD were exposed to a grossly inaccurate and inflammatory video about Muslims in the United States. Dehumanizing propaganda of the sort we saw aimed at the Japanese during World War II, at the Germans during World War I, has no place in our diverse city and country and no place in law enforcement.”

ICNY staff joined Muslim leaders on the steps of City Hall to speak out against the NYPD’s use of the film in training: http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/political_news/154875/muslim-nyers-call-for-police-commissioner-s-resignation/

Muslim NYers Call For Police Commissioner’s Resignation
Be transparent and provide unbiased education,” said Reverend Chloe Breyer of the Interfaith Center. Activists say they are calling on the City Council to …

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE

When: Sunday, March 4: 10:20 am to 11:20 pm

Where: Church of St. Francis Xavier, Mary Chapel, 55 W. 15th St., New York.

For more information, contact Luz Marina Diaz, (212) 627-2100 ext. 207, or dre@sfxavier.org.

Consultations will be approximately 30 minutes long. Inaddition there will be free workshops topics include Domestic Violence andothers to be determined.

There are a limited amount of appointments available for the first session, and a limited amount of walk-in consultations will be available.

Date: Wednesday February 1, 2012
Time: Call for appointment times.
Location: Upper Room Baptist Church (180 Van Buren St. Brooklyn, NY 11221)

To schedule an appointment for a free, private legal consultation relating to issues of Family Court, Housing Court, Debt or Immigration, please contact

Deirdre Williams at missdeedee0201@aol.com or 347-458-7001.

“Elder abuse happens in every culture and country, and in every socioeconomic class,” said Kings County DA’s Office Bureau Chief, DV/Elder Abuse Unit Arlene Markarian. Ms. Markarian pointed out that religious leaders may sometimes be the only person in the community positioned to recognize an Elder Abuse case.

New York City Elder Abuse Center LMSW Robin Roberts pointed out that for every case of Elder Abuse that is reported in NYC, 24 cases go unreported. It is estimated that 100,000 seniors are the victim of physical, psychological, emotional, sexual, and/or financial abuse each year in our city.

Leaders at the Roundtable expressed the need for a state-wide database of Elder Abusers. They were also pleased to learn about the formation of a new agency, The New York City Elder Abuse Center, which coordinates all of the various state agencies who in the past have only dealt with segments of Elder Abuse cases. Now, with the NYCEAC, seniors with abuse problems are less likely to fall through cracks in the system, and get the help they need.