As most TexAgs regulars know, every year I come here and post the same thing around Thanksgiving. My family opens up our home for Thanksgiving to all of those with nowhere to go, for whatever reasons, to come enjoy family and fellowship and maybe a few libations.

We have done this for over 25 years with great success, and I would argue to say that we get WAY more out of it than our guests ever do. We have had as many as 30 and one year as few as 1.

It is with great sadness that I must announce that due to a spinal surgery I had in May (that I am still recovering from) and my wife's impending back surgery in 4 weeks we are NOT hosting a Thanksgiving this year. We are just physically and emotionally unable to.

For 25+ years we have done this at our own expense and labor. We have worked, prepped, cooked, baked, etc all week leading up to turkey day, and we have loved it! Our menus have been the stuff of legend! It's well documented why this began, and the reasons for doing it have far outweighed any costs we may have incurred.

My hope is this-

#1
If you have the room and inclination, invite people over to your home that otherwise don't have anywhere to go. Advertise at your church, social media etc, that you have room for them, get the word out. Most will decline, but you might be surprised at who you know that has nowhere to go. That old lady at church, the guy at your gymn, your kids sports coach etc, just ask you will really be surprised.

#2
That we will be back next year to continue on. We love doing this and if it weren't for doctors orders we'd be doing it this year.


Come on Aggieland, keep it rolling in our stead!!!


God Bless
-AP-

I like how you do this every year. If there is anyone in N. Grimes County with no place to go, reach out to me. Email is in my profile.

Edit to add: I hope your recovery and your wife's procedure go well.

Elite, you're the best, and that tradition of yours was a truly giving and wonderful thing. Wishing you and yours the best this Thanksgiving, and hope y'all get the rest and recovery you truly deserve.

We always offer the same on facebook and it nearly always surprises me who says yes!

And if you'd like to take spike up on her offer, PM me and I'll send you the website so you can choose.

You and the Mrs, get well soon!

Here is how this all got started, and hopefully a little encouragement for y'all to invite students over-

Quote:

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Here is a little context for why we do this-


Years ago, when I was a poor student, some 700 miles from home, I couldn't afford to go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas like all of my friends, I had to choose so I chose Christmas break. All of my friends went home, and I found myself alone on Thanksgiving, walking around campus feeling as low as an 18-year-old can possibly feel. I ended up eating at a "Luby's" type place, and there were a few of us poor souls in there, eating our pressed turkey and canned cranberry sauce alone and alone in our thoughts. I had recently lost my best friend to a car wreck and my grandfather to old age. It was really hard being alone, feeling alone, crushing sadness, that was a feeling I never wanted to feel again. It is forever burned into my memory, that sadness, that melancholy feeling of helpless loss and isolation.

Years later, while my baby bro was attending school here, he asked if one of his friends, a Chinese student he had met in class, could come for thanksgiving as he had nowhere to go and didn't really understand the concept of why Americans even had a thanksgiving holiday. I said sure, the more the merrier bring whomever. Well, they must have posted a flyer at the foreign student center because that day we had about 10 foreign students for thanksgiving, we demonstrated the true spirit of American Thanksgiving and that's how it all started. That was around 97 or 98. In the years between then and now we have had as many as 30 and as few as 1. My only hope is that anyone who is alone on Thanksgiving is alone because they want to be, not because they must be.

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I have a small home bakery business. I don't say much so I don't get yelled at to buy an ad.

but if you click on my profile, it's there

I had a similar freshman Thanksgiving. I couldn't go home and then immediately come back for the sip game. I had a chicken sandwich and mozzarella sticks from Burger Boy in my dorm room. My table has been open to others ever since.

Awesome to hear of others opening their homes! I love it!


As for us, we are going to take advantage of this off year and go visit friends and family out of town, but thank y'all so much for the offers!

trouble said:

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I have a small home bakery business. I don't say much so I don't get yelled at to buy an ad.

but if you click on my profile, it's there

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Her pies are the bomb!

Great that Elite does that but I also just want to throw in that not only do they do this, they also do great electrical work and have excellent customer service.

My Rotary Club has pickled up the ball and issued a challenge to our members and other clubs. Scroll down to see the "No one eats alone" campaign.

https://www.aggielandrotary.org/

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