A campus-bound Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, a couple of programs involving the University of Wisconsin–Madison help students and families celebrating on campus to make their holiday as tasty and cozy as those traveling across the country.

For those who aren’t magicians in the kitchen, or who just don’t have the time, the Wisconsin Union is offering Thanksgiving dinners to go, prepared by their talented catering staff.

Individual dinners started at $9, and family-style meals with enough food to inspire a family of six to purchase elastic-waist pants started at $99. This year, the Union received 90 requests for individual meals and 20 for family meals. All meal orders were due last Friday, and hungry customers who pre-ordered will pick up their meals between noon and 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

A la carte options included turkey gravy, herbed green beans, sage stuffing, dinner rolls, homemade cranberry orange relish and a choice of pecan, pumpkin or fudge bottom pie.

“It’s great,” says Wisconsin Union communications director Marc Kennedy, who enjoys the dinners at home with his family. “It does save you a lot of hassle doing all the cooking and everything. They do a nice job.”

Kennedy adds that he receives a lot of calls from parents ordering meals for their students that can’t make it home for the holiday.

Two Union staffers will be able to speak about the program on Wednesday, but the Wisconsin Union will be closed Thursday and Friday. They are:

• Kennedy, (608) 262-5079 (office), (608) 347-8630 (cell), mhkenned@wisc.edu. Kennedy will be available for comments on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Calls to Kennedy before noon should go to his office. Those trying to contact him after noon should call his cell.
• Lisa Wadzinske, Wisconsin Union catering division manager, (608) 263-7145, lwadzins@wisc.edu. Wadzinske is in charge of Thanksgiving-to-go, but will be extremely busy on Wednesday and may be difficult to reach.

Another Thanksgiving-on-campus angle involves the Madison Friends of International Students Thanksgiving Hospitality Program. Madison families participating in then program invite international students into their homes to experience a traditional American Thanksgiving.

“It’s basically about friendship and cultural understanding,” says coordinator Janet Wood. “I think what we’re offering is something you’re not going to find in different countries.”

This year, Wood will host two Chinese families. So far, she has placed almost 80 students from 14 different countries in nearly 40 different homes.

Wood and co-coordinator Judy Fritz invite media to contact them Wednesday, Nov. 25 for comments. Both Wood and Fritz would be willing to let the media into their homes during Thanksgiving dinner if they call and arrange it with them beforehand:

• Wood, (608) 277-7959, woodjanetk@aol.com. Wood will also be available for comments Friday, Nov. 27.

• Fritz, (608) 222-8247, judyonowen@gmail.com. Fritz says it will be easier to contact her by phone since she will be busy with holiday preparations and will not have much time to check her e-mail.