Helping out those in need at Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!
Most of us will spend part of the day with our family, feasting on turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, mac & cheese and multiple pies. It’s usually a wonderful day, filled with fun. In a lot of cases, we take it for granted.
Many people in the United States and Canada are unable to do this because food insecurity is a problem in both countries. In the U.S. almost thirteen percent of households suffered from food insecurity at some point in 2022. That breaks down to seventeen million people. The numbers are even higher in Canada. Eighteen percent of families went to bed hungry at some point last year. All figures are a significant increase from the year before.
The reason for this is fairly basic…not enough income. Many families are forced to decide between providing housing or food. It’s not an easy decision.
This year at Thanksgiving, here are four examples of people trying to help others have a better holiday:
The photo at the top is from the Nelson Street Pub, in Pembroke, Ontario, Canada. While this isn’t a true Thanksgiving story, this is how they help hungry people in their area. What you are seeing are receipts pinned up on a wall. Each one represents a meal that was donated by one of their customers. The sign above them says, “If you are hungry and have no money, these meals have been paid for in advance.” Their burgers, salads and wings are a great way for this restaurant to help out those hurting in their community.
This is University of Michigan running back Blake Corum. On Saturday, his team will be facing Ohio State in a game that will probably determine which team will be going to the national playoffs. Corum believes in giving back to his community. For the last three years, he has sponsored turkey giveaways in Ypsilanti. He uses a portion of his NIL (name, image, likeness) money to pay for this. Each year it’s becoming bigger. Last weekend, Corum helped to deliver two hundred turkeys and two hundred gallons of milk at each of three different locations in the area.
The Chicago Bears football team is having another tough season. The teams record is now 3-8 and that’s coming off a 2022 year where they also only won three games. However, that is not stopping some of the team’s players from helping out at Thanksgiving. On Tuesday, the Bears teamed up with the Salvation Army to feed about one hundred fifty South American migrants at a Southwest side shelter. Bears receiver D.J. Moore told WGN television, “I talked to one of the groups of families here, they’ve been through a lot, it was heartwarming.” It sounds like he got as much out of doing this as the people he helped. The Salvation Army will be doing this at three other locations today.
Finally, you wouldn’t think helping out would be necessary in a suburb as affluent as Highland Park, Illinois. You’d be wrong. The Moraine Township Food Pantry is located in the city. Each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, eligible recipients can get meat, dairy, produce, bread and other items from the pantry. Last week, members of the Highland Park High School baseball teams and their coaches visited the pantry. They put together Thanksgiving bags to give away to those in need so they can enjoy the holiday like the rest of us. (A personal note…I went to school at HPHS along with one of the coaches who was there with the team.)
These are just four of the many stories you’ll find about people helping out to make Thanksgiving and life better. It’s too late to help for this year, but 2024 is only three hundred and sixty-six days away (leap year). There are plenty of shelters and food pantries that would welcome the help. And, it’s not a totally selfless activity. You’ll feel great doing this. You may get more out of the activity than the people you help.
Happy Thanksgiving!