Catholic Charities of New York welcomed people in need to a special meal featuring halal food on Tuesday, November 19, at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Community Center in Central Harlem.

Halal food is prepared following Islamic law and, as such, it is both more expensive and difficult to access, especially for migrants and new arrivals to New York City, Catholic Charities representatives told The Good Newsroom. On the menu during Tuesday’s event were vegan vegetable rolls, chicken tikka rolls, fruit, and soft drinks.

“It’s absolutely natural” to reach out to Catholics and non-Catholics in need, said Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, who visited during the event. “Our basic belief is that every person is made in the image and likeness of God. So it is just another way to bring our world together, and serving halal meals is an example of that,” he told The Good Newsroom.

The Kennedy Center is managed and operated by Catholic Charities and serves as the organization’s base in the area. The Rusty Staub Food Pantry, also at the center, is used by other groups, including the Central Harlem Senior Citizens Center, youth sports leagues, and the International Child Program (ICP), which seeks to inspire young people to exchange ideas through the creation of artistic platforms. ICP played soothing music during Tuesday’s meal, which was served in the Kennedy Center’s auditorium.

“Language access is included in our arts programming,” said Electra Weston, ICP’s founder, who was part of the touring company of “The Lion King” musical for 15 years. Because many of the users of the Harlem center speak African languages with fewer speakers locally, Westin said that creating English-language learning programs that use music has been effective.

Catholic Charities will hold its main pre-Thanksgiving food distribution in the area on Tuesday, November 26, also at the Kennedy Center.

Later this week, Catholic Charities will deliver 100 halal turkeys via a distributor to MAS Staten Island Center, an Islamic social service organization for young people in the Dongan Hills area of Staten Island.