Story and photos by DDNS Reporter Jerry Burton

Arkansas State University held the annual Thanksgiving dinner in the Acansa Dining Hall Wednesday.

Craig Johnson, assistant vice chancellor for auxiliary services and volunteer coordinator for the Thanksgiving dinner, said the event provides for faculty, staff and students alike.

“For faculty, this gives them interactions outside of the classroom or outside of the offices,” Johnson said. “For our students, it gives them an opportunity to meet with faculty and staff in a different environment. It provides for those folks who can’t be able to go home for Thanksgiving.”

Emily Martin, a first-year nursing major from Viola, Arkansas, attended the Thanksgiving dinner. She said her favorite food served at the event was the macaroni and cheese, while her least favorite was the stuffing. Martin said the food lines never felt slow and the servers were very hospitable.

“We probably got here at a good time, we got in right after the initial people,” Martin said. “I had to go back and get mac and cheese because they were out, though.”

Yurizzia Macias, a first-year nursing major from Little Rock, said the food was great overall. She also said the stuffing was her least favorite food served at the event. She said while the food for the Thanksgiving dinner was being served in the middle of the Acansa Dining Hall, the space never felt claustrophobic and the food lines were never congested.

Johnson said he has helped plan the annual Thanksgiving dinner for 27 years. He said it was harder to find volunteers in the early 2000s. This year, Johnson said he had to turn people away because so many wanted to help.

The volunteer coordinator said he sent an email at 9 a.m. asking faculty and staff to help with the event and by 9:19, the first shift of volunteers was already full.

43 volunteers comprising faculty and staff members helped serve food at the event. Johnson said volunteers receive no formal training other than guidance on giving equal food portion sizes to students.

“We really just put an apron on, put gloves on and say ‘serve’”, Johnson said.

The volunteer coordinator said 100 students were already through the line in only the first half hour of the event. He said he thinks the volunteers served about 600 to 650 students during the event.

Johnson said it was fun to see a full cafeteria again. He said A-State is still rebounding from COVID-19, which caused a drop in the on-campus student population

“I consider a place like this to be the heartbeat, where folks have the ability to engage and interact,” Johnson said.

Macias said she thinks the Thanksgiving dinner will have a positive impact on students, especially those who won’t be able to go home or see their family during Thanksgiving or Christmas break.

“If they see how it is all family-friendly, they will be more motivated to stay here,” Macias said.

Johnson said he hopes the Thanksgiving dinner provided a warm holiday experience for students who cannot travel home while on break.

“I don’t think you can ever replace what it means to go home, we just can’t match that,” Johnson said. “But it does give that holiday feeling that you have during Thanksgiving.”

Johnson said since Thanksgiving is a holiday based on American history, some international students may not celebrate it. He said this event still serves to give these students another taste of American culture and what the holiday is all about.

Martin said while she enjoyed the event, she did notice areas that could be improved. Martin and Macias said having another table for serving food would have helped students get more food. Five volunteers couldn’t attend the event to help because they had the flu. Johnson said their absence didn’t affect the event very much because he probably had more volunteers than he needed anyway.

Johnson said he would like to see more food options served next year when the event is held again. He said he told the head of operations for the event he would particularly like to have candied yams available for students next year.

Macias said she would be interested in coming to the same event next year and similar events in the future.