Michigan State University Student Affairs and Services will host the 15th annual Thanksgiving Day Unity Dinner from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 23 for students staying on campus for the holiday. The free event will take place in the Brody Hall classrooms.
A variety of food will be offered from local restaurants, and there will be games, prizes and music to enjoy during the meal. Leftovers are donated to local homeless shelters.
“Having been a low-income MSU work-study student 15 years ago, I know firsthand how beneficial this meal is,” said Juan Flores, co-founder and organizer of the Thanksgiving dinner and a coordinator in the Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions. “I am excited that we are again hosting the dinner on Thanksgiving Day.”
Thousands of students have benefitted from this tradition over the years. Last year there were more than 400 diners, coming from a variety of different colleges and backgrounds.
Flores said one goal of the Thanksgiving Day Unity Dinner is to celebrate different cultures, while providing a meal and entertainment for the students who find themselves on campus for the holiday break.
Vidi Aziz, a senior psychology major from Indonesia, started volunteering for the dinner in 2015.
“I couldn’t go home on Thanksgiving, so I was looking for some activities because I was bored and a lot of places were closed on campus,” Aziz said. “I found a flyer for this event and signed up to volunteer.”
Aziz said he has made many friends through volunteering at this event, and together they have come back every year to continue the tradition of serving food and joining in the festivities on Thanksgiving.
Preregistration for the event is open until Nov. 22 and can be done here. Walk-ins are welcome.
For more information about the Thanksgiving Day Unity Dinner or to volunteer for the event, contact Juan Flores at floresj2@msu.edu or Rochelle Rivera at rivera33@msu.edu.
SOURCE: MSU Today
