The afternoon lunch combined aspects of the traditional American Thanksgiving holiday with various dishes and treats from other nationalities brought by those who attended.

Olivia Seifert, intern coordinator for the CRC, said the diverse aspect of including international flair with a traditional American dinner would bring students and community together.

“We thought partnering a traditional American holiday with an opportunity to celebrate the international diversity with this community would be a cool event,” Seifert said.

Seifert said the event drew a lot of involvement from students, permanent residents, such as Mayor Diane Goddeeris and the international community and said it had the potential to become an annual occurrence if future CRC interns chose to host it.

Doctoral student Ting Shen, originally from China, appreciated the CRC’s efforts as she is interested in meeting new people and making new friends during her time at MSU.

“I like to come (to community events) to meet new friends,” Shen said.

La Casa President and anthropology and history senior Paige Wojcik was happy to involve her club in the festivities to garner more attention and support of international friendship.

“We were really excited to connect with some of the international organizations,” Wojcik said.

For CRC intern and English and French senior Ryan Waldron, the feast’s overall success was touching and inspiring because of the international diversity and community connection.

“It really incorporated with CRC’s goals, especially here in Red Cedar, seeing as they have such a diverse international community,” Waldron said.