Thanksgiving | Photo by Craig Adderley | Pexels.com
Wright State University (WSU) students of all nationalities came together Nov. 25 for the 9th Annual Raidersgiving. More than 500 meals were prepared and distributed by volunteers for students, faculty and staff to take home and enjoy.
A new event during the pandemic
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Raidersgiving was not able to be a traditional gathering this year. This caused the committee planning the event, including Administrative Project Manager for Board Relations & Special Events Fran Keeley, to have to think outside the box.
“Our thought process on it was we didn’t want to not do it, especially now, because people are so isolated,” said Keeley. “Sometimes, you feel like maybe nobody cares.”
The idea behind Raidersgiving this year was to share in a Thanksgiving tradition and to provide a warm meal for those who were staying on campus during Thanksgiving break.
“We just talked through it and decided that at least we could give them the meal or give them enough food,” said Keeley. “Maybe you’re a student that has a spouse and maybe a child. At least, that’s four meals we could hand you.”
The work of volunteers and employees
Chartwells and its executive director Haitham Shtaieh were major players in getting the 2020 Raidersgiving up and running.
“[Shtaieh] immediately knew he would have employees on campus that Wednesday, even though classes were not in session,” said Keeley. “His people certainly made all the food. They all took care of that, but we did ask for volunteers to help.”
Around 25 volunteers were brought in to assist with the event.
“Every year, we get more volunteers than we really need,” said Keeley. “People really want to be a part of it, so it’s not a hardship to get people to help us.”
Four different meal options were offered. One of these was a traditional Thanksgiving meal, and gluten-free and vegan options were also on the menu. The last option was a halal meal, which had to be prepared a certain way.
“We’ve been doing that because that helps us understand what other cultures deal with,” said Keeley. “And, of course, it’s delicious.”
The day of Raidersgiving
The first set of volunteers arrived early in the day and were given general instructions by Shtaieh. Everyone had to wear face coverings, and volunteers were assigned to their different meals. After this, an assembly line was put in place to package the meals and add reheating instructions.
“Everybody has their place,” said Keeley. “We have people at a registration desk to greet our guests to tell them how it’s going to work as they walk into the Apollo Room because, obviously, that has to be done with protocol.”
Those who came to pick up food entered one door, received up to four of the meals, and exited out a different door. Each person also got a WSU bag that contained hand sanitizer, masks with the university logo and a note from WSU President Sue Edwards, among other items.
The social distancing and mask mandates during the event were enforced by line monitors, though reminding people of these requirements was hardly needed.
“It was really spaced out nicely how people showed up, but if that were to have happened, they would have just said, ‘remember you need to be six feet back,’” said Keeley. “I don’t think we had any mask issues at all. Most everybody had a mask on. Most people were just happy to be there. It’s a very festive atmosphere.”
One of the tables at the event was reserved for prizes, which anyone who registered for Raidersgiving had a shot at receiving. These prizes were donated by Barnes & Noble, Intercollegiate Athletics and Pepsi.
Reactions from students
Many students were thankful to receive this meal, and some stopped to converse with the Raidersgiving staff. One of the students who attended was computer science major Jonathan Goble, who believes that the process was fairly easy.
“I was in and out quickly for pickup, and the meal was easy to reheat. I miss the hot food off the serving line from previous years, but we couldn’t do that this year, so this was a decent substitute,” said Goble.
International students and Raidersgiving
A large number of students who attended were international students, who came to Raidersgiving because of an inability to travel home and a sense of loneliness.
“Raidersgiving this year became even more important for international students so that they feel less lonely, that they know they’re part of our broader community, and to let them know that we care,” said UCIE director Streeter-Ferrari, whose organization was a Raidersgiving sponsor. “We got a lot of amazing responses from our international students on that day, feeling exactly what we had intended, that Wright State does care and they’re part of our community and they are welcome here.”
The event was also sponsored by Chartwells, the Raider Food Pantry, the Wright State Foundation and WSU alum Eric Bigler.
