Celebrate Thanksgiving with fellow students and faculty

Students who are unable to travel back home for Thanksgiving can still be thankful with their Sun Devil Family. 

There are many opportunities across all the campuses for students to feast on classic Thanksgiving foods. 

ASU Student Media/Off-campus Housing have partnered with the Sun Devil Family Association and Apollo Apartments to offer students, faculty and staff a free Thanksgiving dinner. 

Kyle Latronico, 21, a senior majoring in marketing, has attended the dinner and has helped set up the event for the past four years. 

“The students can expect a real family-style get together. For a lot of the students attending, it is the first time they have experienced Thanksgiving, and it is a marvel to see them realize what a homey holiday it is. We all come together to break bread and celebrate the blessings of our lives,” Latronico said. 

The Thanksgiving dinner will be on Thursday, Nov. 28, at Matthews Center on the Tempe campus from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

All that is asked is for students to RSVP and bring in a donation of one or two nonperishable food items for the ASU Pitchfork Pantry.

Students can contact DeDe Grogan for more information, DeDe@asu.edu. 

First-year Cronkite students can feast on homemade food with Dean Christopher Callahan and his family.

Since 2006, Callahan and his wife, Jean, have opened up their home to Cronkite students who did not make it home for the holiday. 

“Jean and I just hated the idea of our out-of-state freshmen who couldn’t get home for the holiday to spend Thanksgiving in a mostly empty Taylor Place. So we thought they would appreciate spending Thanksgiving with our family,” Callahan said. 

The day is full of fun games, football and delicious food. The students even get to decide who made the better tasting turkey.

“Jean and I have a bit of a competition. She cooks the biggest one in the traditional way (in the oven) while I smoke one and deep fry another. The students always say they like hers the best, but I think they’re just being nice,” Callahan said. 

At the end, students are sent home with leftovers so they can make it through the holiday break. 

Cronkite students can RSVP via email to Kathleen.Burke@asu.edu. 

For all Downtown students living on campus, at the Hampton Inn or at Roosevelt Point, the Taylor Place dining hall is offering a Thanksgiving lunch.

From 11:45 a.m. To 1:15 p.m., students can get a plateful of all Thanksgiving classics.  

Downtown campus Community Director Flora Alvarado encourages all students to come and to bring a container for leftovers. 

“The Thanksgiving lunch is free to all students. They can bring a friend as well,” Alvarado said. 

No need to RSVP, just show up ready to eat. 

If you or anyone you know can’t make it home for the holiday, do not hesitate to visit one of these events. Spread the word so that no student is left behind on Thanksgiving!