Food for the Soul: Welcome Neighbor STL’s Big Supper Club

In 2016, the Riverfront Times published an article about four Syrian refugees, none older than 15 years-old, who were attacked outside of their apartment complex. This occurred on the 1100 block of Hodiamont, a four-minute drive from Washington University’s Danforth Campus. One of the many people reading the Riverfront Times that morning was a woman named Jessica Bueler. She saw the article, and instead of just turning the page and forgetting the horror she felt, Bueler decided to take action.

Bueler began what was originally a one-time toiletry supply drive for refugees that turned into a non-profit organization called Welcome Neighbor STL. Welcome Neighbor’s mission statement, according to their website, is to “partner with refugee and immigrant families, connecting them with the people and opportunities that will empower them to build and live their best life in their new country.”