Community Picnic

Annual Global Friends Coalition picnic will celebrate welcoming, community, and diversity. Global Friends Coalition, along with its honorary co-hosts the Afghan Community will host the eighteenth annual community picnic Sunday, Sept. 22nd, from 5 to 7 p.m. at University Park. The goal of the picnic is to bolster relations between immigrants and the broader community and is part of Welcoming Week, an initiative by the national organization, Welcoming America.

“The Community Picnic is a perfect opportunity to join with others, and to celebrate diversity and inclusivity in Grand Forks. We are a welcoming community and this is something to embrace ” said Cynthia Shabb, Executive Director of Global Friends. Shabb noted the excitement of showcasing the diversity and talent in our community through music and food.

As Shabb reflects on this year, she shared, “Our co-hosts, the Afghan Community, are new to Greater Grand Forks but have been a cohesive group of people assisting one another.”
This year, for the first time, dancers and musicians from Red River and Central High School will be featured. Restaurants invited to prepare a meal are Chino Latino’s, West African Cuisine, Mount Everest, and Las Delicias De La Abuela. We are excited to have the assistance of Whalen’s Moving and Storage, Hospitality 322 and Hugo’s as they assist us with the logistics. There are a number of sponsors making this event a success. The cornerstone is the Xcel Energy grant that Global Friends was awarded.
A number of organizations are sharing their time on Sunday to provide information about their services. There will be music and games.
Global Friends Coalition expanded its mission and in 2023 began welcoming refugees through its resettlement program as an affiliate of Church World Service. This fiscal year, which runs from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024, Global Friends will resettle 114 refugees. Grand Forks has become home to refugees from Afghanistan, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Venezuela, and Somalia.
Global Friends Coalition fosters New American integration through work with New Americans and the Greater Grand Forks community. The event is free and everyone is welcome. For more information, visit our FB page at
https://www.facebook.com/globalfriendscoalition or call Global Friends Coalition at
701.746.8233.