MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s annual Thankful Thursday initiative is open once again to offer those looking to give back this holiday season a way to fill the tables of students in need.

“National statistics show that almost a quarter of undergraduate students are food insecure,” said Maigan Wipfli, director of the Office for First-Year and Nontraditional Student Engagement, one of the offices that coordinates the initiative. “With the added cost of inflation, students now more than ever are having to make hard decisions about where to spend their time and money — in long-term investments like college or basic, immediate needs like food.”

The initiative is accepting nonperishable/canned Thanksgiving side items from now until noon on Friday, Nov. 6. Donations can be dropped off in Room 330 of the Student Union Building, at the designated box at Alumni House, 2269 Middle Tennessee Blvd., received via an organized on-campus pickup arranged by email at [email protected], or even shipped directly to Wipfli’s office at 1672 Greenland Drive, Box 1, Murfreesboro, TN 37132.

Suggested food items include Thanksgiving staples such as stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, canned sweet potatoes, green beans and corn, condensed soup, cranberry sauce, canned pie filling and boxed/powdered milk, though other nonperishable food items are welcome. Can openers are also kindly requested.

Visitors to campus wishing to stop and drop off items must obtain a temporary parking permit ($4 per day) from either the Parking and Transportation Services office at 205 City View Drive, online via pay-by-plate at https://bit.ly/mtvisitorparking or by scanning the QR code on parking lot signage. A searchable campus parking map is available at bit.ly/2026parkingmap. Wipfli did note, however, that the two visitor spots at Alumni House do not require a permit.

Started during the pandemic, this year’s effort is a partnership between the Office for First-Year and Nontraditional Student Engagement, the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, Lightning Stop and one of the university’s honors research seminar classes to put on the initiative.

Wipfli said last year marked their second-largest food drive to date and that she loves how the Thankful Thursday tradition shows how campus is so willing to give back.

“I think it really speaks to the MTSU spirit of community,” she said.  

Bags will be available for pickup, one per student, on Thursday, Nov. 12, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Student Union Building main atrium or, if needed, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Miller Education Center on Bell Street, by email request to [email protected]. Bags will remain available as supplies last, with any leftovers donated to the university’s student food and essentials pantry, Lightning Stop.

Wipfli said students can swap out any items in the bags to match their food preferences.

Learn more about resources offered through the Office for First-Year and Nontraditional Student Engagement at https://fynse.mtsu.edu/.

— Stephanie Wagner ([email protected])