Thanksgiving is the time to give.

The Office of Advising has decided to provide Thanksgiving meals to Chaminade students who are unable to go home for the holiday. Occasionally, the advisors would invite these students into their homes but due to Covid, they have had to find other ways to provide for these students.

In previous years, the whole office came up with ways that it could contribute to the dinner, from purchasing items to cook to giving a donation to helping pay for some of the items that they needed. Everyone contributed their parts and made sure that everything was all set for it.

“With the pandemic, we were unsure if we were going to be able to continue our tradition,” said Haunani Saifoloi, assistant to the Director of Advising. “Luckily we were able to partner with the cafe in order to still provide for the students. I look forward to giving back to the students every year and I am so glad that we were able to find a solution.”

The meals that will be paid for is for the Thanksgiving dinner that Chaminade is hosting at the Silversword Cafe, which is being held on Nov. 26 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The dinner menu consists of roasted turkey with gravy, glazed ham, mashed potatoes, rice, dinner rolls, and haupia pumpkin pie. There will also be vegan-friendly items available.

“I just want every student to feel like they are not alone during this holiday season especially if they are unable to go back home and celebrate it with family,” said one of the advisors.

Collectively the office has already gifted 25 meals to students but is open to giving more. Saifoloi and the other contributors said that there isn’t a limit on the number of meals that they are giving out and that anyone who signs up will receive a meal.

Advising’s mission is to make students’ academic transition into Chaminade University as smooth as possible for all first-year and transfer students, as well as provide ongoing support to continuing undergraduate students.

“It is not about how much money it is gonna cost to do this, but how many students we are able to provide meals for,” Saifoloi said. “The main goal of this is to make sure that every student who needs a meal is able to get one.

Advising will be accepting sign-ups until 5 p.m. on Wednesday. In order to sign up or find out more information please contact, [email protected] with your name and CUH ID number.