Give Back this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is all about family, food and counting our blessings (well, that and football), but one of the best ways to feel grateful for what you have is to give back to those less fortunate.

Looking for ways to give back this Thanksgiving? Here are a few ideas.

1. Help hungry families celebrate.

Donate a thanksgiving meal at your local grocery store. Grocery store chains are year-round supporters for local food banks and charities and almost all have a special giving program at Thanksgiving. Because of the local nature of the donations, most programs are only advertised in-store so ask next time you are at the check out!

• Local Jewel Osco Grocery Chain ‘Feed a Family’ Thanksgiving donations go to different food charities based on store location:
  • Mundelein, IL – The Chapel, https://chapel.org/care/
  • Libertyville, IL – Libertyville Food Pantry http://www.libertyvilletownshi...
  • Lake Forest, IL – Holy Family Food Pantry https://www.stpatrick-lakefore...
  • Buffalo Grove, IL – St. Vincent de Paul https://sites.google.com/a/stmarybg.org/svdp/home and United Methodist https://www.kingswoodumc.com/missions

2. Donate or volunteer at a local food bank.

Donations to food banks don’t just help feed families at Thanksgiving: the funds and nonperishables raised at Thanksgiving help to feed families all year round.

Some of the ways you can volunteer during Thanksgiving at your local food bank or food pantry include:

• Sort and pack food donated for Thanksgiving meals
• Assist families during their visit to the food bank or food pantry
• Deliver meals to the elderly or people with disabilities or health conditions
• Cook and serve dinner at a soup kitchen or community meal

Northern Illinois Food Bank coordinates food and fund donations, evaluates and repacks food for distribution to more than 900 community food pantries and feeding programs across Northern Illinois. Find out how you can volunteer or donate at www.SolveHungerToday.org.

Help safeguard our seniors from isolation and hunger with Meals on Wheels, a program that delivers meals to individuals at home who are unable to purchase or prepare them. https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org

Check with your local churches and community centers for more ways to volunteer.

3. Work off that Thanksgiving meal with a Turkey Trot!

American Turkey Tradition boasts itself as the world’s largest thanksgiving running festival with 27 races in a dozen States.

Registration for the Long Grove Turkey Trot – Nov 28th 5K and 8K runhttps://allcommunityevents.com/longgroveturkeytrot is open until November 25th and lots of volunteers are still needed.

This Thanksgiving holiday, consider celebrating your thanks by giving back!