Gobble, Gobble, Give

Bleh.

Bloaded, impregnated by food and ready to become one with my mattress.

This is exactly how I feel writing this blog after eating Thanksgiving dinner at my sorority house. During dinner we shared the woes of the day, complained about our boyfriends and talked about all of the over-priced name brand items we wanted for Christmas. But superficial conversations like this only carry so far.

As silence came over the table, the sound of drool dripping from our mouths as we dropped whipped cream onto our pumpkin pies, my mind started wandering about the meaning of Thanksgiving. I looked around the table and thought how thankful I am for each and every girl sitting around me. I’m thankful for Abby and her nourishing nature, Erica for her ability to make corn casserole into a comedy routine, and Tessa for loyalty and flattery.

From flikr, by greg194799

How did I ever live my life without these wonderful ladies? What will I do without them after we graduate? At this time of year I think about just how great I’ve got it. But it also leads to wondering about those who don’t have friends to laugh with, don’t have a turkey to say Grace over and don’t have a roof over their heads for Santa’s sleigh to land on.

One in six households in the United States will go hungry during the holiday season. Many children won’t have gifts under the Christmas tree. Menorahs will go unlit.

It’s time— time to get into the giving spirit. I promise that as you lift ladles at the soup kitchen, your spirits will rise as well.

Here are some fun and easy ways to get involved on a local and national level.

Each Christmas, JCPenny partners with the Salvation Army to raise money to give gifts to those who can’t afford it. http://angelinput.jcpenney.com/angeltree/

Donate to Children’s Miracle Network during the holidays to lift the load of balancing cost of medical bills and gifts off the families who have children in the hospital http://givemiracles.fundly.com/

After checking out The No Kid Hungry campaign, you’ll never complain about Mom’s turkey being too dry or how disgusting your great aunt’s fruitcake is again. Donate to this cause and put food on the table for families this season. http://www.nokidhungry.org/