Annual Holiday Dinner Provided for Students Remaining on Campus

Thanksgiving is a holiday many students look forward to, because it is the first time many of them have a chance to go home since the semester began. While some students are going home for the holidays, those that aren't should not fret. Howard University's Chapel Assistants have a solution--their annual Thanksgiving dinner. This annual Thanksgiving dinner is a great representation of the Chapel Assistant motto, "We are more than an organization. We are a family."

Theodore Otey Jr. a freshman international business major and president of the freshman executive board for the School of Business, is excited to go home to Houston and to see his family, friends and car.

"Although I am going home, I don't think people are missing out on much except a good meal. We come back to Howard for about two weeks and then we go back home," said Otey.

For those students who will miss out on a home-cooked meal, they will have the opportunity to partake in the 7th annual Thanksgiving dinner. It will be held on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, in the Annex Dining Hall from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The best part about this event is that it is completely free.

The Thanksgiving dinner initiative started in November 2005 by the organization Noon Day Prayer Fellowship. It was inspired by the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Chapel Assistants took over the initiative in 2006. Since then they have had more than 300 students come and fellowship with them during the dinner.

"There will be food, games, prizes, and fellowship. I expect it to be a really fun event," Emani Mitchell this year's Thanksgiving dinner coordinator, said.

Mitchell, a junior biology and African American studies double major, understands what it is like to not be able to go home during the Thanksgiving holiday. Since she transferred to Howard, she has spent every Thanksgiving on campus attending the Chapel Assistant's annual dinner. Emani said she enjoyed herself at the event last year and it was a great opportunity for her to meet new people.

"We strive to create an environment to allow the students to know that Howard is their family away from home through this annual fellowship," said Christian Brown, a junior nursing major and the Chapel Assistants president.