3,500,000 turkeys -and a dream

In 1996, two youngsters, siblings Betsy and Dan, started Turkeys4America to provide turkeys for families in need. Since then, these young people have served 3,500,000 turkeys!

When interviewed recently, older brother Dan, a college sophomore, looked back on over ten years of doing this service work. Betsy, now a senior in high school, spoke about how she hopes some day families won't have to go to food pantries for holiday dinner fixings- and of her dream to end hunger.
+
A recent article appeals to us on behalf of wounded troops returning from the war, citing language from 1920 speaking of the need to support returning vets.
""Appeal for Wounded Men," proclaimed the New York Times headline. "An appeal to citizens to open their homes on Thanksgiving Day to the 15,000 wounded soldiers in the city was sent out yesterday.... 'Many of the disabled men feel the people have forgotten them.'"
That same need exists today with many vets struggling to readjust to life back home as John Whitehead's piece points out. Sadly, in the column on the right side of the piece, is an article about how the military is asking vets to return bonus monies if they weren't able to finish their full tour -pointing out some of the issues these vets face at the home front. Check out how a 4 year old amputee's presence at Walter Reed hospital helps out vets recovering from injuries - the video came out a bit choppy although I put it up a few times - but is well worth watching.

+
This local article talks about running a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving and how the director always seems to find that she has enough food! She encourages local residents to bring by food donations on the holiday since their addition might be just what the soup kitchen needs. And one volunteer found he was too late to sign up at the annual Father Fred Thanksgiving dinner - but when he did get to serve,knew he'd want to do it again.
+
Officials at a Texas jail arrange for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to be catered for inmates. One official says that many of the inmates miss family at the holiday and they try to address this by making an effort to have a traditional meal. Please keep those in jail in your prayers this holiday, especially those who have no visitors. Also keep those who work in prison ministry in your prayers to sustain them through this challenging work.
+
Getting through the holidays after losing a loved one isn't easy. This article offers some helpful tips.
+
18 year old Logan from the US visited Africa and met some of the orphans there. As a result, he wrote a letter about Thanksgiving in our country and his reflections on his visit..
"And I can’t tell you how much we take for granted our homes here in America. We live in an older farmhouse that we have fixed up. I used to look down on our home but I have come to realize that it really is a mansion. There are so many people there who don’t have a place to call a home and many of those who do, live in a small mud hut. I visited a widow who had ten children and lived in a mud hut that was around ten feet by eight feet. Some of her children had to sleep at the neighbor’s house because of lack of room. Seeing how this family lives really makes me realize how rich I am. I wish everyone could go to Africa and see how these people live so they could see how much they have to be thankful for."

+
For children, making a Thanksgiving tree is a wonderful way for them to write down what they're thankful for. This can be particularly helpful if your family is facing a stressful time or you'd like to emphasize the meaning of the holiday to children.
+
FDR's words ring through history in this editorial as we celebrate Thanksgiving.
+

Thanksgiving is a time to recognize the blessings in our own lives. It's also a good time to honor the sacrifices others make for us by reflecting on what we can do for others. As this piece points out, we can't be grateful for what we don't pay attention to!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!
{visual description: Eighteen year old Logan is pictured with his adopted African brothers and sisters. Logan spent six months volunteering in Africa to work with orphans from the AIDS crisis.}
[visual description: Troops serving in Iraq are served the traditional Thanksgiving meal.}