Yay Thanksgiving! Turkey, stuffing, 'taters, pies, more pies, and more pies . . . mmmmmh . . . zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
But truth is, Thanksgiving presents another of life's paradoxes, a time to reflect, remember and discover what's cooking within (exuse the pun, the cliché). A time to give thanks for our blessings--easy to do if you have a loving family around you and food on your table--but what if you don't even have a table--let alone family or food?
San Diego is brimming with homeless people and that number is increasing daily. A third of those living in the streets are veterans--people who fought for America's freedom, heroes who deserve highest honor, and who find themselves inflicted with humiliation and homelessness. Thanksgiving is especially difficult for veterans and military families--a contradictory reminder of the price paid for the very freedom America celebrates.
Another huge component, perhaps half, of the homeless population consists of former foster children who have aged out of the system with no family to connect to. There are some half million foster children in America. (3, 000 or so live in San Diego.) For them Thanksgiving is little more than a painful reminder of their lack of belonging, of family.
But the good thing about San Diego, is that there are many ways to make a difference for those who hurt whether at holiday season or at any time of year.
Local homeless shelters welcome volunteers of all kinds. From cooking, serving food, folding laundry, organizing food, or just spending time listening to the stories of the hurting, there are a myriad of ways to help. Check out the following centers:
Bread of Life in Oceanside,
Solutions for Change in Vista,
San Diego Rescue Center in San Diego.
"Not everyone can be a foster parent, but anyone can help a foster child." Sleep Train centers collect new clothes and toys for foster children.
Many churches provide special Thanksgiving meals to serve military families or veterans. And they welcome donations of food, gift cards, goody baskets etc. Now how easy is that!?
As for black Friday, here's a better idea. Do Christmas shopping by purchasing gifts that help homeless and underprivileged people? The Solana Beach Presbytarian Church hosts a market selling various giveable items and all profits help the poor.
So while Thanksgiving is not always all it should be, there is always a way to make it much more by reaching out to those in need. Check out what God says about it in Isaiah 58:7-14.
Now that's worth thanking God for!
Janey L. DeMeo M.A.
Copyright © November 2010
founder-president -- www.orphanfirst.org
author & speaker -- www.JaneyDeMeo.com
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