IRVINE, California: On May 6, 2012, Pacifica Institute hosted its first ever Mother’s Day Festival.
IRVINE, California: On May 6, 2012, Pacifica Institute hosted its first ever Mother’s Day Festival.
IRVINE, California: On May 6, 2012, Pacifica Institute hosted its first ever Mother’s Day Festival. Families gathered in the early afternoon to celebrate the role of mothers in society as well as sample the delicious homemade Turkish cuisine prepared by the volunteers of Pacifica Institute. The proceeds from this day of festivity were collected in efforts of helping single moms and orphanages.
“I’m having a lot of fun. I think this is definitely a nice way for a family to get together,” said high school student Malali Karzan.
The wide range of food included lunch specialties such as gyro, lahmacun (Turkish pizza), manti (ravioli), as well as desserts like baklava, kunefe, sticky ice cream and much more.
“I knew as soon as we received the advertisement for this event, that my husband and I had to come. I’m going to go over there and sample the foods, I don’t care how many calories they may have or what’s in it, I know it’s just as fabulous as it was in Turkey,” said Susie Caskey.
While parents enjoyed the food and the sunshine at the tables set up outside of Pacifica’s building, children had the opportunity to play in the funhouse or browse through the many gift booths inside the cultural center. This included an assortment of gift options for moms ranging from children’s clothing and toys, to handcrafted jewelry and brand name accessories.
Also inside the center was a table set up for calligraphy in addition to the hand-woven cards made by the women of Mardin, Turkey. This was organized by the United Nations Development Program in effort to assimilate gender equality and women’s empowerment to reduce poverty in their societies and give them a stronger voice.
The festival then continued with an auction, consisting of miniature artwork, handcrafted creations with 16th century Ottoman motifs, as well as authentic leather accessories and bags. The earnings from this auction will be donated to the Single Mothers Outreach Foundation.
“Some of the things here are really beautiful, especially those on the auction table. I think this was a very good idea; not only do families and friends get together to honor mothers but also to fundraise for single moms and orphans. It’s great to be able to make an impact this way,” said Gloria R.