Almost 70 senior citizens from the Manhattan community gathered at St. Isidore’s Catholic Student Center on November 22 for the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner for Senior Citizens. Thirty-five K-State students signed up to serve the annual dinner that encourages college students and senior citizens to relax and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast.

Brian Ziegler, campus minister at St. Isidore’s, said that the dinner is about more than just wonderful food.

“The goal is to provide a Thanksgiving meal for the senior citizens in our community with a loving heart and not just feed a meal, but appreciate them for who they are,” Ziegler said.

After dinner, the St. Isidore’s choir performed several songs from their upcoming Christmas CD, and then students and senior citizens joined in for a sing-a-long of holiday songs.

The dinner provided an opportunity for senior citizens to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal and spend time with great people.

Grace Prusik, a permanent community member at St. Isidore’s, said she attended one dinner in the past, and she looks forward to enjoying more in the future.

“I enjoy the dinner because I love the friendship of everyone and especially getting to chat with Father Keith. He keeps me coming back,” Prusik said.

Alyson Ptacek, a senior in mass communications from Allen, Texas, came to help serve the dinner. Ptacek had a special connection to the Thanksgiving dinner – her mother, Maureen, was a student at K-State and a member of St. Isidore’s when the dinner started in 1983. After mentioning the activity to her mother, Ptacek knew she wanted to take part.

“I thought this would be a really nice thing to do, and I love talking to people and hearing their individual stories,” Ptacek said. “It is great to get to know people from the older generation and hear their stories. They all have so much to share.”

Janet Peak, a junior in family and consumer sciences education from Scammon, Kan., has helped with the dinner for three years. She enjoyed helping the attendees relax and getting to know them.

“I enjoy getting to meet people who have had an impact at St. Isidore’s that I may not have known about. The people I talk to are so interesting, and I hope someday I can influence St. Isidore’s in a positive way like they have,” Peak said.

According to Ziegler, seeing the interaction among the attendees is what makes the dinner a success.

“It is so rewarding to watch students and senior citizens sit and socialize because it is great to see interaction between generations,” Ziegler said.