By Eleni Himaras

The smell of fast food sandwiches will be replaced with the aroma of turkey and gravy and students will be replaced by senior citizens as an annual Thanksgiving tradition takes over the West Addition of the Curry Student Center Sunday.

The Office of Government Relations and Community Affairs will be holding the 25th annual Thanksgiving Dinner for the Elderly from noon until 3 p.m.

“It’s a great interaction with the students and the elderly,” said Rosemary Colluci, assistant director of Residential Life. “It’s just a great way to reach out to the community and help.”

In recent years, the event has grown far too large for ResLife to sponsor alone, as it draws in about 250 people, making it the organization’s most popular event, Colluci said. The event had to be moved from its previous space in the basement of Speare Hall because of the newly-constructed Speare Commons.

ResLife recruits student volunteers and Northeastern employees to staff the event. This year’s volunteers include members of the Physical Therapy Club and members of the Residence Hall Council, said Noah Baum, a Residence Director for ResLife. In past years, the number of volunteers has hovered around 50 and Baum said he is expecting the same number this year.

The Office of Government Relations and Community Affairs is also coordinating the annual Thanksgiving food drive, working with different departments to collect food donations and deliver them to more than 25 community agencies.

“This event is one of the ways that the university interacts with its neighbors,” said Jeff Doggett, associate director of community relations and head of the event. “A lot of times we tend to forget our elderly neighbors that don’t get the chance to spend Thanksgiving with their families, and this is a great way to reach out to them.”

The university also provides transportation for the event, sending vehicles out into the community to pick up the elderly guests and take them home after the event.

If students would like to volunteer for this event, they can contact Noah Baum at 617-373-7826.