There have been several threads about what to have for dinner and guests and what is traditionally served at home for Thanksgiving.
So what do you do for those who may do without? Volunteer at a shelter? Donate to a charity?
This past weekend, we bought a 24 pound turkey and delivered it (along with a check donation) to the local “soup kitchen”. They serve something like 350 meals a day to homeless folks.
Anybody else make a point of this on holidays?
There’s a food bank in town that supplies the relief-agencies of 10 counties. I toured it once and was amazed by how much good they do. I sent them a donation last week and will do the same at Christmas time. I also try to send a little throughout the year.
I let the turkeys live…and give thanks that I got to eat some before deciding to let them live from now on…cuz they’re REALLY yummy!
I keep the people at Honey-Baked Ham employed by redeeming my gift certificates for tasty pig flesh. Mmmm!
On Saturday my son and I stood outside of Wal-mart and asked people to bring out toys to donate to Toys for Tots. We make a food basket and turkey for a needy family, and we donate cans of food to feed-a-friend.
I like to get my kids involved in it as much as possible.
I make it a rule not to kill people on Thanksgiving.
I’ve never mentioned this to anyone before. It’s always been kind of a personal thing, although not intentionally a “secret.” The week leading up to Thanksgiving, I give whatever spare change I have on me to anyone who asks for it. (Salvation Army Santas, Firemen collecting for children’s charities or even just homeless people.)
I can’t/won’t/don’t do this often during the rest of the year, but the commercialism of the “shopping season” makes me feel guilty or something.
d_redguy and I also give about $150.00 worth of toys to children’s charities every Christmas.
I made a fake waterfall for others this Thanksgiving. On a stairwell at the bottom landing where theres that slope next to the stairs at the end. Hey, a fake waterfall is better than no waterfall at all.
Chefguy- I’ve been at the recieving end of Holiday baskets one time or another. They are a much happy sight.
I give money to my bookie.
We have a food drive here at work - I try to bring in a bag of canned good and non-perishables. And, no, it’s not 12 cans of lima beans!
That’s damn nice of you. wipes away a tear
We also do the food drive thing at work. This year my office donated almost 10,000 items. (I thought that was pretty cool). No lima beans here either.
Our bike club has a fund-raising ride the day before Thanksgiving. This year we are buying food for local families. We think that we’ll be able to feed about 50 people.
The Uvula family donates food to the local food shelf and toys for the Police Department’s Toy for Joy campaign. Uvula Daughter volunteers after school at the soup kitchen in our neighborhood. And Yours Truly volunteers to work on the holidays so that other members of my staff can have the time off if they so desire.
I purchase goods and services from providers of same, which allows such providers to (i) pay dividends to their shareholders, (ii) hire people who want to sell their labor, and (iii) buy goods and services from suppliers up the chain, which has the same effects on the supplier as it does on the provider. My purchases also help increase the GDP, consumer confidence, the value of the dollar, etc.
And not only do I do this on the holidays–I do it all year round!
I’m a freakin’ saint.
My Fiancee and I cooked and delivered a Thanksgiving dinner to one of the AIDS Hospices last Friday. (I know it was early, but the date was their request.)
We also donate to the local food bank, and at Christmas we will be a Secret Santa for one of the Charities.