Local Muslim Organization Prepares Barbecue For Veterans At Jefferson Barracks Center While Fasting
As the weather gets warmer and schools start to let out, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, making barbecues on the day a popular friends-and-family tradition. But at its core, the national holiday is a solemn one, filled with tributes to American servicemen and women who have passed away while on active duty.
It’s also when many Americans volunteer their time to give back to their local communities. One such occasion is an annual Memorial Day barbecue at the Jefferson Barracks Division of the VA Medical Center in south St. Louis County.
The Muslim Community Services of St. Louis (MCSL) is a local organization of medical professionals and others that coordinate community service projects across the area – including the annual barbecue at Jefferson Barracks.
For the past 12 years, they’ve put together the barbecue to serve patients and staff at the VA hospital to create an environment where “there is mutual learning and understanding on both sides,” said Dr. Bahar Bastani, a professor of medicine who specializes in nephrology and kidney transplantation at St. Louis University.
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