Media Advisory: Day of Giving returns to Eastern's campus on Nov. 23

Annual Thanksgiving meal to serve 500 community members

by Michael Rouleau

Willimantic, CT (11/22/2022) — Eastern Connecticut State University will host a two-part community Thanksgiving meal on Nov. 23 during its 16th annual Day of Giving. At 11:30-12:30 p.m. and 12:45-1:45 p.m., approximately 500 residents from the local Willimantic community will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving feast in Hurley Hall, the University's dining facility.

This is the first in-person Day of Giving in three years, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the previous two years, the Covenant Soup Kitchen hosted the Day of Giving, offering Thanksgiving meals in to-go containers to soup kitchen patrons.

As with every Day of Giving, food is donated by the ECSU Foundation and prepared by the University's food service provider, Chartwells. Eastern students and staff volunteer at the event, greeting guests, serving food and cleaning up. Eastern's Center for Community Engagement (CCE) organizes the event and coordinates with community partners to arrange shuttles to campus.

"Eastern is excited to bring back the Day of Giving, which provides a wonderful Thanksgiving meal to many Willimantic residents," said CCE Director Lana O'Connor. "The CCE provides student volunteers to help out with the day, doing such things as greeting and directing guests, providing assistance for guests with mobility issues, and clearing and resetting tables, but most importantly the students get to engage and talk with community members.

"It truly is a feel-good event for everyone," continued O'Connor. "This event is a collaboration between Eastern's Office of Institutional Advancement, CCE and Chartwells, and wouldn't be successful without the help of everyone, including Eastern faculty, staff, administration, students and our community partners in Willimantic."

Eastern is providing transportation for guests from Ashton Towers, Father Honan Terrace and the Covenant Soup Kitchen. Residents from the Windham Senior Center are also expected to be attending. The CCE is also working with Arka Mikel, resident service coordinator for the Willimantic Housing Authority; Kate McCarthy Cox, program coordinator for the Windham Senior Center; and Kim Clark, executive director of the Covenant Soup Kitchen.

Since the Day of Giving's inception in 2007, the event has provided a hot turkey meal with all the fixings to thousands of community members who otherwise might not enjoy such a holiday meal.