BUTTE — Many staff members and students at Montana Tech can't go home for Thanksgiving, and this can be kind of a lonely place. So one staff member decided, "Hey, why not bring Thanksgiving to Montana Tech?"
“We got some pies, we got pumpkin pie, we have apple crumble pie, apple pie,” said Madeline Thomas.
As Director of Campus Life, Thomas didn’t want students who couldn’t go home for Thanksgiving to miss out. So, she organized a Friendsgiving event on the Butte campus for all students stuck in town.
“I don’t like people being alone on the holidays, and that’s my passion is to help people be loved,” she said.
Jaden Lewis wasn’t able to return to Alaska for the holiday, so he was happy to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with friends.
“This is a great opportunity to get some food in, relax, settle into the break. This is fantastic and we are grateful,” said Lewis.
Kitchen staff were happy to volunteer their time to prepare a turkey dinner with all the fixings.
“Any little thing that we can do for a student that makes them feel a little bit more inclusive or homey or anything like that, they let me know, and I’ll make sure it happens,” said Kitchen Supervisor Lorraine Thornton.
Even a student from Butte appreciated having a Thanksgiving meal with his friends.
“Thanksgiving is more than just loved ones. Thanksgiving also includes friends, so I think that’s the spirit of Friendsgiving,” said Ryan Moore of Butte.
The university may make this an annual tradition.
