Sage Kiernan-Sherrow | News Editor
For students unable to go home for the Thanksgiving holiday, or for those struggling with food insecurity in the community — the Monmouth-Independence Rotary Club is hosting a free Thanksgiving dinner at 1 p.m. in the Monmouth Senior Center on Nov. 28. The Monmouth Senior Center is located at 180 Warren St S.
Dubbed “Here for the Holidays,” the meal is a brand new service which, “started last spring when a local artist, Pam Sierra Wence” contacted Dr. Robert Troyer, an associate professor of linguistics and the Director of International Student Academic Support here at Western. Wence wanted “to see if there was any way to set up some kind of program for students who are here … and can’t go home to their families,” added Dr. Troyer.
While the original plan was designed to partner students up with community members, “the logistics of that were just … really difficult,” said Troyer, and thusly both he and Wence recruited Laurel Sharmer’s involvement in the project. Sharmer, who is the president of the Monmouth-Independence Rotary Club, applied for a grant to offset the costs of the event and, after receiving one, made the dinner entirely free to the community.
All students have to do is confirm their interest in the event by filling out a form on the Academic Student Support website by Thursday, Nov. 21. This gives the Rotary Club an approximation on attendance in order to ensure that enough food is available.
For students who will be missing a feeling of community during the holidays, Troyer calls the event, “one of those rare things that is just simple and good.”
Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu
Photo by Sage Kiernan-Sherrow
