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URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Champaign County has a Thanksgiving tradition more than 50 years in the making, where anyone and everyone has a seat at the table.
“Some people, it means the world to them,” said Student Council President Citlali Cortes-Alvarez.
The tradition provides the chance to share a Thanksgiving dinner surrounded by new and old friends.
“It’s very important that everybody has a place to be,” said former volunteer Phyllis Gingold.
Urbana High School’s Student Council has been giving people a home for the holidays for 51 years. It’s where new friendships, service with a smile and dinner classics are always on the menu.
“When you look around, there’s so many people talking to new people, families that maybe they’re only meeting today, but [they] still remember that,” Cortes-Alvarez said.
The free meal also gives people the chance to try something new.
“I’ve heard about turkeys before, but this really is my first time to actually have a turkey on a Thanksgiving dinner,” said U of I student Donald Shen.
Shen and his family are from China. This year is their first time having a real turkey dinner.
“I think it’s a really good opportunity to learn about not only the American culture, but also how to give back to the community like this,” Shen said.
While it’s her first time at the event, Gingold is far from a stranger at the high school.
“In the ’90s, I used to help coordinate this event,” Gingold said.
Once an organizer, now she comes to enjoy the meal and the memories, something she hopes continues to support the community for generations to come.
“I would love to see a time when places like this weren’t needed because people had families to go to and places [to be],” Gingold said. “But I just think this fills a great void in our community.”
Organizers said there used to be a transportation service to and from the dinner. That was something lost during the pandemic, but they are hopeful it’ll be back next year.