With the holidays fast approaching, and finals creeping up on us, it would be a crime to completely ignore the holidays that symbolize gatherings of full of love and food. Thanksgiving is underrated in my opinion. It is a beautiful holiday in which loved ones gather, bring their favorite foods, whether that means cooking it together or cooking it through grandma’s secret recipe, and spend quality time together without the pressure of spending loads of money on Christmas gifts. Though Thanksgiving is celebrated with family, it is also celebrated with friends that are like family as well, hence the name “friendsgiving”. Friendsgiving is celebrated before or after Christmas, and can be celebrated in a number of ways. However as any broke college student would say, how could this be achieved? Hosting a friendsgiving on a low budget can most definitely be achieved and here is how:Â
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- Potluck Style!
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Though hosts plan the event, it does not necessarily mean that they provide everything needed to have a fun, delicious time. Potlucks are great ways to minimize the cooking time and the budget needed for the event. Excel sheets are a great way to achieve this, as it is the perfect resource to gather and plan accordingly in groups. When planning a friendsgiving, excel sheets can accordingly plan out who volunteers to take certain food items to the event. We do not want a friends giving with solely chips, juice boxes and pies!Â
- Use Campus Resources!
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Free money and resources for free food are everywhere. Cal-fresh (also known as EBT) is a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that aids any student who meets eligibility requirements by giving them a total of $192 in food stamps!! Several eligibility requirements include: being a US citizen or a legal resident, working 20 hours a week and/or being eligible for the work-study program, being 18 years or older, not receiving 11 or more meals from another source, receiving Cal Grant A or B and being a part of a program increasing employability such as the EOP program.Â
Another resource that aids in receiving food at no cost is the A.S. Food Bank. Open from 9:30 A.M to 6 P.M daily, the A.S. Food Bank provides fresh, free, and nutritious food items as wells as toiletries to the Gaucho community, many of which can be used as ingredients to hold the perfect friendsgiving (wink, wink)! Two simple requirements to receive food assistance for the holidays include: being a UCSB student and simply filling out a Self-Declaration of Income form.Â
Hosting a friendsgiving on a low budget is most definitely possible if one uses the resources they have around them, and to our luck, us UCSB students and IV residents have a variety of resources to use in order to make grandma’s famous stuffed turkey for the holidays. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday season and a wonderful friendsgiving!