Seventeen people — mostly dance students — attended that first meal in 2010. The afternoon ended with somewhat of an impromptu performance. “We put on a performance of ‘Nutcracker’ while we were clearing the table,” Don Hubele said with a smile. “They were all doing ballet while they’re washing dishes.”

Belhaven University student Kerry Jones had his Thanksgiving all planned out.

The freshman from Texas saw himself stuck in Jackson eating a cheeseburger and drinking a Frosty at Wendy’s, longing for a home-cooked meal.

That all changed when he walked into his English class this week and his professor, Don Hubele, offered students a meal at his home.

The home of Hubele and his wife, Donna, has become a home away from home for Belhaven students over the years. Students and professors mingle at Halloween parties, enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner or drop by for a sandwich on a Tuesday afternoon.

“Someone is always over here every couple of days, it seems like for one reason or another,” Donna Hubele said as she finished whipping mashed potatoes for a crowd of 22 people in her Belhaven home blocks from the university, where her husband is the English Department chairman.

The Hubeles have hosted students and faculty at Thanksgiving for four years. The annual event began after a few students let Don Hubele know they had nowhere to go for a Thanksgiving meal.

Seventeen people — mostly dance students — attended that first meal in 2010. The afternoon ended with somewhat of an impromptu performance.

“We put on a performance of ‘Nutcracker’ while we were clearing the table,” Don Hubele said with a smile. “They were all doing ballet while they’re washing dishes.”

A few faculty families joined the second year, including music professor Christopher Shelt, who led a band of troubadours with a Scottish drum, guitar, fiddle and accordion in a front-yard performance.

“We had people do-si-doing in the driveway,” Donna Hubele said.