My Pre-Thanksgiving/Kicking off the Holidays post

As I’m sure we are all blissfully aware, tomorrow is Thanksgiving!

Before I start, let me say that I will be imbibing, inhaling, absorbing, swallowing, sniffing, taking in by way of osmosis, consuming, nibbling, gormandizing, ingesting, masticating, noshing, and just plain eating all sorts of good food tomorrow. I do so love food and Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday – because of family and all that food.

But not a single Thanksgiving can pass without someone reminding we gluttonous Americans that there are people out there that can’t possibly get their hands on a real meal. Even here in our own country. I’m here to be that person, I guess. It’ll be a good way for me to swim through all those afore-mentioned verbs and remember “how lucky I am” and well, perhaps work a little harder to help others less fortunate than I.

I take it as no mere coincidence that Empty Bowl was one week before Thanksgiving.

For those of you that may not know the splendors of Empty Bowl (this is a different link as the first one!), let me fill you in. No pun intended.

Each year, Arcadia University’s Community Service Office holds this event in our castle. Students, professional potters and professionals of other inclinations, teachers, and more make and glaze ceramic (and this year paper!) bowls and donate them to the event. Local restaurants and the like donate soups, breads and desserts. Tickets are sold ($12 for students and $15 for non-students) and on the day of event, people come to choose a bowl and they get to eat soup (and bread – and dessert)!

As with all things, there is a point to this. World hunger is an important and very real issue and, even though it’s a cliché, it’s true that every little bit helps. That’s why all the money made from our Empty Bowl events gets split between Heifer International and Philadelphia Northwest Interfaith Hospitality Network.

Heifer gives farm animals to communities in need and Interfaith gives guidance and a place to stay for displaced families in the Philadelphia area.

This years’ empty bowl event hosted more than 700 people and raised more than $8,800 dollars.

If you visit Heifers website, that’s like 8 cows, or 36 goats, or 220 flocks of chicks (a flock is anywhere between 10 and 50 chicks).

So, this thanksgiving, think about donating to Heifer, or a local organization that deals with poverty in the area. For Thanksgiving, I encourage you to maybe instead of buying that extra pie, save the money and donate the money. For Christmas, buy one less gift for each kid. That little bit of money could mean a better day in the life of a person in need.