Some students celebrated Thanksgiving before the break during Colby Hall’s Thanks for the Giving. On Sunday, Nov. 20, 125 residents in Colby Hall came together to enjoy a pre-Thanksgiving feast.

“About this time our residents are really longing for home,” Colby Hall resident assistant Meagan Hall-Casey said. “We’re in the final stretch and everyone just wants a piece of home and usually that’s in the form of a good meal, some good food, something other than Market Square.”

Each RA signed up to bring a dish and recruited their residents to assist them so there would be plenty of food for all.

Freshman vocal performance major and Colby Hall Council member Libby Taussig said she was excited for Thanks for the Giving and thought it went well.

For the first time, Thanks for the Giving featured a dessert competition that was judged by two hall directors from other dorms.

Hall-Casey won the competition with her banana pudding and brought home a gift card and bragging rights.

The tradition began four years ago when Nicole Nava and her friend, Kritika Amatya, were only freshmen. Through their participation in the Colby Hall Council, they started Thanks for the Giving. They have continued the tradition as RAs.

Amatya saw the opportunity as more than just a good time. Being from Nepal, she recognized the opportunity to inform international students about Thanksgiving.

Every resident was asked to contribute a dollar to buy food and supplies. Every small contribution culminates into a big result of some homemade holiday favorites. Some of the homemade dishes included mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, stuffing and turkey.

The residents who attended Thanks for the Giving ate together in the Colby Hall lobby. In addition to the meal, some residents and RAs also made holiday cards for Cook Children’s Medical Center.

“We had a lot of residents show up, and the food was fantastic,” Taussig said. “It just built community and brought Colby together.”