Lutes who stayed on campus for Thanksgiving Break this past Thursday were offered the opportunity to attend a free Thanksgiving meal hosted by PLU.
This was the first time since pre-COVID-19 that the Thanksgiving meal was offered. PLU believed it was important to have it for the large number of international students staying on campus for shorter breaks.
As promised in the email sent to international students on October 19th, PLU President Allan Belton and other faculty staff were there to serve traditional Thanksgiving food. While Director of Admission Operations Brandon Bruan was the one to bring up this event, Belton came up with funds to make it happen and volunteered to host it. Belton commented, “Melinda and I would love to come and serve food if we are allowed to, and they let us, so that was a lot of fun!” Additionally, PLU Campus Restaurants made sure there were some vegetarian and vegan options for the main course.
Belton shared his thoughts about Thanksgiving at PLU: “It’s a great opportunity for international students, in particular, to have an American experience around Thanksgiving but also just to come together at the time when the campus is very quiet and a little lonely.” Melinda Belton, Belton’s wife, also enjoyed the event and interactions with international students. “We talked about what types of food they would have for special celebrations where they live… and it made me hungry all over again”
Rayen Slama, a first-year international student from Tunisia, experienced Thanksgiving for the first time at PLU. Slama shared that the celebration was what he expected: “When we say Thanksgiving, we say food and, yes, a lot of food here; a lot of good people.” Slama said that he really enjoyed apple pie which he tried for the first time. On the other hand, traditional Thanksgiving sweet potatoes did not make Slama’s list of favored foods.
As students were getting ready to go back to their dorms, they were encouraged to take as much food with them as they needed. Gathering around 40 students, Thanksgiving meal at PLU was a great opportunity for Lutes to get together and feel welcomed.
