The Psychology Club ran the Pin the Feather on the Turkey game at the Friendsgiving event hosted by the Student Congress. (Photo by Cameron Enomoto)

By Cameron Enomoto | Staff Writer

On Friday, the Student Congress hosted a Friendsgiving in the ʻŌhia Cafeteria. Various campus organizations like the Board of Student Activities (BOSA), registered independent organizations (RIOS), and more attended to facilitate a turkey arts and crafts activity while simultaneously creating ways for students to connect with resources available to them.

“I’m really happy it ended up working out so well,” said Kimberly Song, the Student Council President. “… I think people are enjoying themselves and I love how no one is sitting alone. Everyone ended up finding new friends, and I think that’s the best thing that could have happened.”

Students put together their completed turkeys to create a collage. (Photo by Cameron Enomoto)

Students were given a paper cut out of the body of a turkey and were required to go to at least five different organization tables to complete an activity and receive a feather. In order to go through the buffet line of Thanksgiving foods, students had to add at least five feathers to their turkeys. Completed turkeys were then used to create a collage.

“I am having a lot of fun and this is great though to see students and staff,” said Chit Leong, a Paralegal student who attended the event. “It’s definitely a lot of work to put something together like this. Coordinating everything, setting up tables and chairs, making sure there’s enough food, and things like that.”

Some of the activities that organizations had set up included Pin the Feather on Turkey (run by the Psychology Club) and an interactive dance exercise using NewJeans “Super Shy,” led by Chloe Villorente, an officer from Dance Club. Other organizations like Phi Theta Kappa, Lama Library, Pohukaina Food Pantry, and the Office of Student Life were also present.

Once the activities were complete, attendees helped themselves to a variety of foods from Oli’s Kitchen like turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes. Vegan options were available upon request. For dessert, three pies were offered in addition to cheesecake, cookies, and ice cream.

According to Martino Koo, the Student Congress treasurer, approximately 80 students RSVP’d for the event with a maximum of 100 spots available. Koo noted that the Friendsgiving event last year ran out of food, so the maximum capacity was limited this year to ensure that everyone had enough to eat.

The budget for this year’s Friendsgiving was $3,500, a little under last year’s $4,000, according to Song.