Thanksgiving is a time…..

Hello All,

Danielle Duckery, author, wrote “Thanksgiving is a time to give, a time to love, and a time to reflect on the things that matter most in life.” This quote really appealed to me today because I was surrounded by this wonderful group of people who volunteered at a local drive-through food pantry. A time to give, a time to love, a time to reflect.

This incredible food pantry and our terrific local Foodbank work together monthly to serve 200 plus people. There is a group of volunteers that usually come together to serve – today was even more special. Multiple families showed up to set-up and deliver food to the trunks and back seats of cars. From the tiniest young girl (who was maybe six) to the teens and parents, it was truly the spirit of Thanksgiving. It takes about 30 minutes or so to set-up the food stations – there are always some things we have to put into smaller bags or boxes. Today it was collards and oranges. I loved watching the teens helping the smaller children patiently count out 5 oranges per container – and the parents coming together (people who had never met each other before today) to put collards into bags.

Then the cars started to come through. The little helpers needed to stay behind the orange cones for safety, so they helped the teens and adults gather things to carry to the cars. The teens took the lead in filling the cars – and each one of them told the people in the cars “Happy Thanksgiving.” There was much laughter – the packets of bacon were just a little bit slippery and would pop out of all of our hands, and sometimes the trunks of cars, pretty easily. Occasionally an orange would escape. We had to check each other’s math skills because some families would pick up for their neighbors who didn’t have cars or couldn’t get to the drive-through pantry- so we needed to make sure we put the right amounts of food in the car for multiple families.

Kudos to the parents who brought their children to help today. What an opportunity to teach the value of volunteering and the impact that those three hours could make in other’s lives. Kudos to the young people who never slowed down. (I would love to have some of their energy!) They checked to be sure every person received all of the food they were supposed to before serving the next car. They served every person with dignity and respect. And they did it with smiles. They talked about how it was good to help others – and they also thanked their parents for what they had at home.

People left with trunks full of food – I left with a full heart.

It was a day of giving – the gift of food, the gift of time, the gift of self and service. It was a day of love and laughter. It was a day to reflect and give thanks for what we had, and how we could help others.

Lionel Hampton said that “Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not the mind.“ This memory will be stored in my heart for quite some time.

Enjoy Thanksgiving. Eat well – laugh loud – hug long – take a great nap after all of that turkey – shower love. Give thanks and reflect and be grateful for the blessings in your life.

Make memories to store in your hearts.

Phyl