Three Rivers Community College students Cody Sowell, Thena Cranfill, Joe Victorino, Marie Parry and Samantha Bartosiak load a pick-up truck with turkeys and Thanksgiving fixings to bring to the Norwich Vet Center.

When Marie Parry became the president of the Three Rivers Community College Veterans Organization, she took the commitment seriously. When it came time to plan for the annual Thanksgiving drive, she really wanted to do more. Historically, the organization has donated between 20 and 50 turkeys to the Norwich Vet Center. Marie wanted to change that to donations of whole meals, and she wanted to meet the needs of the center, which was over 75 dinners. To meet a need that big, Parry needed to involve all of the Three River’s community.

With the help and blessing of Alycia Ziegler, Director of Student Programing, Parry invited all of the student clubs to be responsible for the donation a food item for the baskets. Fourteen student organizations pulled together to donate all the necessary items: Student Programs Office, Student Government Association, Business Club, SIGMA, Video Game Club, Anime Club, Campus Activity Board, SAGE, Student Nursing Association, Three Rivers United Environmentalists, Karaoke Club, American Institute of Architecture Students, and the Three Rivers Aquatic Activists. Two outside organizations from the community also donated food and resources, the Stitch Chicks of the North Franklin Quilt Shop and the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association – Nathan Hale Chapter.

(Left to right) Three Rivers Community College students Thena Cranfill, Joe Victorino, Cody Sowell, and Marie Parry pose with some of the 80 Thanksgiving dinners they delivered to the Norwich Vet Center.

Food was collected for three weeks, and so much was gathered that, after the 80 baskets were pulled together for the Veteran Center, there was enough left over to donate to the Three Rivers food pantry and other local Thanksgiving drives. Transporting the baskets to the Norwich Veteran’s Center took a U-Haul truck and a pick-up filled with turkeys. Parry, a veteran who is studying environmental engineering and environmental health and safety, says, “right now, I am tired, but next year I want to do a hundred baskets.”

In the News

News 8 WTNH – Three Rivers Community College helping Veterans this Thanksgiving

The Day – Three Rivers vets, other student clubs donate 80 Thanksgiving dinners to the Norwich Vet Center.