Classes are over and many are eager to go home. However, some are dedicating a few extra hours to school life and kicking off their break with a Thanksgiving feast in Ames.

At 6 p.m. Friday, a Thanksgiving dinner for international students will be hosted by Memorial Lutheran Church, 2228 Lincoln Way, just across from the Memorial Union. The cost of the meal is $2 for students and $5 for a family.

Bessie Fick is organizing the meal, which is part of Memorial Lutheran’s FISH – Friday International Student Hospitality – dinner program. The main purpose of the FISH is to build relationships between American and international students.

“It’s a dinner for friendship and hospitality, an opportunity for Americans to build bridges between international and American communities,” Fick said.

The dinners try to spotlight food from a different country each week. Some of the meals so far have come from nations such as China, Germany, Sweden, Turkey and Norway.

The meal tonight will consist of traditional American dishes such as turkey and potatoes, but international students are also encouraged to contribute.

“We’re inviting them to bring a dish from their own country, which kind of follows the tradition of the first Thanksgiving where everybody brought food for the rest,” Fick said.

The story of the first Thanksgiving will be told at the meal, so that those who have never heard of it can understand the significance of the feast.

Fick said they have had more than 21 different countries represented at these dinners so far. Usually there are about 200 people at the meals, but the attendance is increasing.

Although the meal is especially geared toward international students, American students are also encouraged to attend.

“Both sides can learn from each other,” Fick said, “Americans get an opportunity to learn about other countries, other people and other cultures.”