Thanksgiving meal program provides food, family, friends, and fun

Penn’s Assembly of International Students is matching international undergrads and graduate students with a faculty or staff partner who invites them to a Thanksgiving meal.

While many in the Penn community are gearing up for Thanksgiving break, whether it’s boarding trains, planes, and buses to celebrate with friends and family or preparing for the big meal locally, it can also be a lonely time for some. 

That’s why Penn’s Assembly of International Students (AIS) is committed to bringing a sense of holiday belonging to international students staying on campus during the break with its Thanksgiving Meal initiative. 

“For some international students, this might even be their first year away from home,” says Heather Shieh, president of AIS. 

Since 2018, AIS has matched more than 100 international undergrads, graduate, and Ph.D. students with a faculty or staff partner who invites them in for a holiday meal. The effort went virtual during the pandemic, and in-person gatherings resumed last year. This year, 31 students and eight faculty and staff are taking part.

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