Springfield College, MCDI, Will Serve Thanksgiving Dinner to Community
November 9, 2010SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Nov. 9, 2010 -- In what has become a community tradition, Springfield College and The Massachusetts Career Development Institute (MCDI) will serve holiday dinner to neighbors free of charge on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., in the MCDI cafeteria, 140 Wilbraham Ave., Springfield.
MCDI and the college anticipate that more than 600 members of the Upper Hill, Old Hill, Mason Square, and Springfield College communities will attend. The event, originated in 1997, has been an annual celebration since 1999.
On the menu will be the traditional roast turkey with gravy and stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, carrot cake and pumpkin pie, prepared by Aramark, the Springfield College food service, and MCDI food service staff.
Students from the Elias Brookings elementary schools and their Springfield College mentors in the Partners Program will decorate the dining room with their hand-made work. Altogether, more than 50 volunteers from the college, MCDI and the community will work on the event, including about 20 students in the Springfield College AmeriCorps program.
Welcoming diners will be Ronald S. Ziemba, representing Springfield College President Richard B. Flynn, and Timothy L. Sneed, MCDI executive director. David McMahon, director of United Campus Ministries at the college, will give a blessing, and Josh Schupack, Springfield College AmeriCorps VISTA member, will play the violin.
The community holiday dinner will culminate weeks of collaboration between MCDI and the college to involve local residents. The event extends a longtime partnership between MCDI and the college. Springfield College students serve as interns and perform services at MCDI throughout the year.
The community Thanksgiving dinner is one of many Springfield College community services. Annually, Springfield College students perform more than 150,000 hours of service, and many academic courses at the college involve learning through service. The college also conducts on-campus educational and leadership development programs that have served thousands of local children.
MCDI, which was established in 1979, is committed to providing educational and vocational training opportunities and to offering supportive services that prepare individuals for personal growth and economic self-sufficiency. MCDI has an up-to-date physical plant, a large and dedicated professional staff, and the capability to train 900 students each year, satisfying a wide variety of educational and career-preparation needs. It has trained more than 31,000 Western Massachusetts residents and is committed to the needs of many thousands more over the next decade.
