Starkville First United Methodist Church will host its annual Thanksgiving dinner for for international students and their families at 11:30 a.m., Thursday. Free reservation tickets are available at the church's office, the MSU International Education office and at the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center.
The fellowship event is also open to students that do not travel home for the holiday, according to a church news release. The event grew from hosting 15 students, to now averaging around 250 each year.
"We find joy and satisfaction in hosting students during holidays not necessarily to feed them but to give them a sense of belonging to a group like a family," said FUMC coordinator Ruth de la Cruz. "Holidays like Thanksgiving are lonely times especially when alone in a foreign land.”
Ruth and Armando de la Cruz originally hosted the event in their home, but moved to FUMC in 1984.
The event was established for social and educational purposes, while treating international students to an authentic Thanksgiving holiday celebration. The banquet was prompted after most dining halls on campus and restaurants in Starkville were closed over the holiday.
“A very important outcome of hosting international students during Thanksgiving and other holidays is being able to share with them our American ways and traditions of celebrating our unique Thanksgiving Day, and to leave them pleasant and lasting memories of their experiences in the U.S,” de la Cruz said.
Dinner will be provided, but FUMC asks for donations of desserts and fruit. The church is also asking for volunteers to help in the kitchen, serve food and clean up.
For more information, call Donna Kelly at 662-323-5722 or Ruth de la Cruz at 662-324-1424.