Jim Bowman, international student adviser, welcomes guests and Thanksgiving diners-to-be and explains the historical background of the holiday.

An International Education Week balloon serves as a centerpiece at each table and includes prompts for an icebreaker game for the diners.

This table full of guests gets into the spirit with some balloon volleyball. From left: Andrew Warta; sons Rowan and Micah Warta; mom Denise Feda, project staff associate, Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health; Gopika Koranath (maroon long sleeves), a first-year student studying data science; Radhika Ravindran, a first-year student also studying data science; and Temitope Benson, wearing his UB blue, a fourth-year PhD student studying computational and data-enabled science.

Traditional Thanksgiving fare included carved turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, green bean casserole, green salad and rolls, alongside a tofu option for vegetarians. Dessert and non-alcoholic beverages were also served.

Lining up at the buffet table are (from left) Dad Kevin Dorr; daughter Bella Dorr, 8; mom and UB alum Mery Dorr; and daughter Lizzie Dorr, 7.

Food, fun and new friends were all on the menu.