NGU students, faculty provide Thanksgiving meals for local families

You probably sized up your options on where to spend Thanksgiving weeks before. Maybe you planned on hosting a big feast for your family with all the traditional holiday dishes, complete with the always popular “kids table,” or maybe just a nice cozy dinner with friends. North Greenville University faculty, staff and students showed their thankfulness by providing a Thanksgiving meal for those in need in the community.

Each year during homecoming week, NGU clubs and organizations choose a service project in order to make a difference in the community. The project is typically a canned-food drive, but this year the school learned about a need at Tigerville Elementary School.

Students collected canned foods while the faculty and staff provided turkeys. Thirty Tigerville community families were helped through the initiative.

“Delivering the turkeys was a sweet experience. Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to gather, so it brings me joy knowing that elementary school students and their families shared a hot, hearty meal on this day,” said Hannah Reese, a junior elementary education major from Rosman, N.C. “I could tell that it meant a tremendous amount to the school because we received genuine thanks and tearful eyes. I am grateful for the many NGU students and faculty who made this experience possible.”

Tigerville Elementary School principal C. Diane Jackson said the meals were given to families they knew had a need and to those who had expressed a need.

“We really appreciate the assistance with providing Thanksgiving meals to some of our families,” said Jackson. “We are grateful to have such a connection with North Greenville University.”

Emily Brown, a junior elementary education major from Trinity, N.C., was also impacted by the opportunity to assist with the food delivery to the school.

“What stood out to me most was how truly grateful and overwhelmed the school was for the donation,” she said. “This really helped put things in perspective and reminded all of us about all we have to be thankful for this season.”

Brown said the donations given by the student body are a testament to the heart of NGU students.

— LaVerne Howell is director of communications at North Greenville University.