More than a dozen dining hall staff spent two nights sleeping in booths at Butterfield Dining Hall to provide food for residents during the record-breaking blizzard of February 2026.
Jennifer Souza, Joshua Croce and Cate Ianelli were among the 17 workers who packed their pillows and blankets to sleep on the same booths where students enjoy their daily meals.
“That was probably the hardest day I’ve ever worked in my entire life,” Souza said.
Most of the staff arrived at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 22, and didn’t leave until mid-afternoon on Feb. 24, according to Souza.
“It was pretty much from the get-go, like, ‘we gotta get to work,’” Souza said. “We know what we have to do. We are here for you guys.”
The staff that stayed over for two nights included managers, cooks’ helpers, cooks, housekeepers and store clerks, according to Butterfield Dining Hall manager Tom Cronin.
What felt like the beginning of a normal day on Feb. 23 eventually snowballed into constant adjusting of menus and trips to the catering warehouse at the edge of campus for more paper plates, according to Souza.
“When you get busier and busier, you’re a lot more aware that we have no more help,” Souza said. “So we just have to do it. And you just do it.”
At the peak of the storm, additional student employees shuffled through the snow to help with tasks like dishwashing, taking a significant load off of the other dining hall staff, according to Ianelli.
“On Monday, eight students showed up here to work and they crushed it,” Ianelli said, her eyes welling with tears. “They did a great job, and that’s how dedicated they are to us, and that’s why we’re so dedicated to you. Like, you are our heart and soul.”
When students found out that the staff spent nights in the dining hall, users on the anonymous student-centered social media YikYak, flooded the platform with accolades for the workers.
“Thanks so much to all the Butterfield workers for ensuring we all have warm meals. You guys are amazing,” said one anonymous poster, with over 1,500 upvotes attached to the post from fellow students.
Students were so moved by the news of the impromptu Butterfield sleepover that they made thank-you cards for those who stayed over.
The entire Butterfield staff is like one big family, according to Ianelli. Despite some of the hardest working conditions many of them had ever faced, the staff said they wanted to maintain that family spirit, sporting big smiles for all students who walked in.
Students returned those smiles when they realized they still had warm food to eat, despite bitter cold blizzard conditions outside. Appreciation for the staff was pouring over steamed vegetables and cereal dinners.
The main consensus among students: the staff deserves some serious overtime and a hot shower.
“Your parents are trusting us with you guys,” Croce said. “We all feel like a big family here. I want to make it homey and not feel like we’re just here to feed you guys. When you’re homesick or anything like that, this is a place where you can feel a little bit of comfort and a little bit of that home touch.”
