Most of us associate Thanksgiving with
being stuffed to the gills with delicious cooking, but it's
also a good time to think about those who don't have enough on
their tables. If you'd like to share a bit of your bounty this
year, there are several organizations that make it easy:
Feeding America (formerly called "America's Second Harvest") is a national "food bank." What this means is that they help collect food and get it to people who are hungry, through a network of more than 63,000 local organizations. Because they're national, they can also advocate for hunger relief with the government. They're a highly respected, well-run organization, with 97% of each donated dollar going directly to programs.
This Thanksgiving, Feeding America is running a drive called the Thanksgiving Feast for Nine Million. The goal is to raise the money to feed nine million meals to hungry Americans. Every dollar donated provides seven meals.
If you prefer to get more directly involved, your best bet is a local soup kitchen or food pantry:
The Association of Gospel Rescue Missions can connect you with a local Christian mission, many of which run Thanksgiving Day dinners for the homeless and hungry or provide boxes of food to needy families.
There are also two worthy national organizations that focus on specific issues within the general problem of hunger: Share our Strength aims to eliminate childhood hunger. You can donate online, or get involved through an event such as their Great American Bake Sale campaign. There's also a search box on the lower right hand corner of their site that will help you find a food bank in your area. And Meals on Wheels delivers meals to homebound people who are elderly or ill. Here also, you can donate to or volunteer for the national organization, or get connected to your local branch.
by Sarah Kagan
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