Emily Hill
  • Elementary Education and English
  • Class of 2019
  • Willimantic, CT

Eastern Student Emily Hill Provides a Thanksgiving Meal at Day of Giving

2016 Dec 2

Several hundred Willimantic residents converged on Eastern Connecticut State University on Nov. 23 for 10th annual Day of Giving. The event provided a hot holiday meal to people who otherwise may not have been able to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner. Eastern students played a big role in the event, serving food, collecting dishes, escorting guests and cleaning up after the event.

Among the volunteers was Emily Hill '19 of Willimantic, whose major is Pre-Elementary Education and English.

The Day of Giving was sponsored by Eastern's Center for Community Engagement (CCE) and the ECSU Foundation, Inc., which donated turkeys and provided bus transportation for guests. Food was provided by Chartwells, Eastern's food service contractor, which prepared a full Thanksgiving spread of turkey and side dishes.

"Eastern is proud to support our local community in so many ways: through providing volunteers to area nonprofits, schools and municipalities; by encouraging students, faculty and staff to 'buy local' and support businesses in Windham; and by serving community members who might otherwise not have a Thanksgiving meal," said CCE Director Kim Silcox.

For the four weeks leading up to the event, the CCE conducted food drives to support local food pantries, including the Covenant Soup Kitchen and Salvation Army in Willimantic. Area grocery stores that participated include Willimantic Food Co-op, Bob's IGA and Norwich Stop and Shop. More than 2,100 canned food items were collected and more than $1,400 were donated. The Eastern community also participated in an on-campus food drive, collecting more than 3,000 food items.

"What's really heartwarming about this event is that after a very divisive election, Eastern and the community have come together in a wonderfully warm partnership to celebrate our core values and inclusiveness," said Eastern President Elsa Nunez. "This goes to show that Eastern's commitment to the community is not superficial; it's very deep."

The Day of Giving was created in 2007 by Jason Budahazy '09, and has since become an established event in Willimantic during the holiday season. He currently lives in California, but in his absence, his father, Jay Budahazy, attended the event. "I don't think anybody ever anticipated this getting so huge," said Jay Budahazy. "There's more and more of a call for it every year. This is probably the best meal some of these people will have all year. People say one person can't make a difference. I think this goes to show that yes they can."