Texas State dining kicks off holiday season with Thank-ful celebration

The Chartwells Higher Ed team at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas celebrated Thanksgiving a little early last week with its annual Thank-ful celebration.

Held at its Harris Dining Hall, the festivities included a special menu as well as activities for students and a canned food drive. 

“This is a simple way to get students excited about the upcoming break and help foster a sense of thankfulness across the Texas State community,” said Whitney Villarreal, director of marketing and guest experience for Texas State, in a statement.

Over 1,400 guests took part in the celebration, representing a 40% increase in participation at the dining hall compared to a typical Tuesday night.  

Chartwells chefs prepared a special Thanksgiving menu which included dished such as three beans salad, fried turkey with cranberry jelly, tomato and garbanzo beans stew and pumpkin pie. 

Fried turkey was one of the featured menu items for the event. 

In addition to the feast, students could also participate in different activities, including a selfie-station, pumpkin painting and a “kindness coffee table” where students were encouraged to write kind messages on coffee sleeves to be used at Texas State Dining's various locations on campus. 

In the spirit of giving back, Chartwells Higher Ed also hosted a month-long canned food drive as part of the event and donated 150 meal vouchers to Bobcat Bounty, a student-run food pantry on campus.