Thanksgiving Dinner for Lakehead International Students
On Sunday, October 9th, Thunder Bay’s Evangelical Church welcomed over 200 international students from Lakehead University for a traditional Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner. Every year, parish community volunteers organize this event to prepare a home-cooked meal for students living away from home.
Images courtesy of Norma Nelder, Evangel Church
Karen Beauchamp, the event's lead organizer, shared that they have been hosting this dinner for Lakehead international students since around 2004.
“A couple of us got talking, and it was kind of like, you know, it is kind of sad that [international students] do not get to go home for Thanksgiving [...] And, you know, some of them may not even know what Thanksgiving is like in Canada. So, we came up with this brilliant idea to host a supper.”
Karen recalls around 60-70 students in attendance in their first year. In 2019, last year, they were able to host before the pandemic, and over 300 students attended the dinner!
The Evangelical Church is located at 1260 Balmoral St, but there is a shortcut trail students can take from Lakehead residences that bring them to the church parking lot. Karen explained that some international students attend the church as well.
That said, the event is not religious at all. The Thanksgiving dinner is free to all students, and there is no religious proselytizing. Instead, it is a way for students to gather, meet new people and “experience the good-old Canadian Thanksgiving dinner.”
There is certainly lots to enjoy! Karen shared that there were 14 turkeys, 85lbs of potatoes, 20 kg of vegetables, 16 dozen buns, unquantifiably large heaps of stuffing, and 26 pies! To accommodate everyone, they also provided a vegan dinner option as well. The event is held in the church gymnasium, which includes a full industrial kitchen where the food is prepared and a second hall where the food is served.
Images courtesy of Norma Nelder and Karen Beauchamp, Evangel Church
The entire Thanksgiving Dinner would not be possible without the gracious volunteers from the parish community. Four weeks before the event, Karen puts up sign-up sheets for food donations and event volunteers.
“People can sign up for something as easy as bringing a can of cranberry sauce, or they can sign up to cook a turkey,” explains Karen, “And then I have another signup sheet for people in the church that want to sign up for actual volunteering [...] if you want to be a dishwasher if you want to help serve the food if you want to be a door greeter, or if you want to decorate and you know, there is different ways and different levels of commitment.”
Images courtesy of Karen Beauchamp, Evangel Church
Although she spent most of her time working away in the kitchen, Karen shared how lovely it is to meet and talk to Lakehead international students. For many, it is the first time they have tried dishes like stuffing and pumpkin pie.
“And they had, of course, lots of questions. You know, what is stuffing?” shared Karen amicably.
At the end of the night, once everyone is fed, there are take-out containers for students to pack up some leftovers to bring with them.
It is so heartwarming to see the generosity that exists in our community. The Evangelical Church International Thanksgiving dinner is a true testament to the impact of kindness and the simple splendour of coming together to share a meal.