As many people are sitting down to dinner with friends and family on this Thanksgiving weekend, others are opening their doors to people they have never met. It is part of an initiative called "Share Thanksgiving" where immigrants are paired with Canadian hosts for a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
“I've been a new person in lots of Canadian towns before and have always enjoyed being invited over to other peoples' homes so I thought why not extend the favour to other people, especially new Canadians,” said host Jessica-Rae Linzel.
Two students from China, studying at the University of Ottawa, were matched with Linzel.
"It's wonderful,” said one of the students. “It's a good opportunity for me to make friends here."
“Share Thanksgiving” began in Toronto last year with about 100 matches. It is now in other Canadian cities like Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal.
“I think this is a great Canadian initiative and it's really what makes us Canadian is that we're willing to open our homes and embrace all the diversity around us," said Linzel’s friend Sarah Chan.
Traditional favourites like turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie were served during the meal.
With a report from CTV’s Katie Griffin
