THANKSGIVING IS ABOUT MORE THAN FOOD
IT’S ABOUT SHOWING GRATITUDE
Celebrate your challenges. Sometimes struggles and battles in our lives can weigh us down. But when you persevere and continue to push forward, you will find success. Challenges help you improve your abilities and resilience, so celebrate the progress you’ve made. Showing gratitude for challenges and negative experiences allows us to acknowledge humility and appreciate growth in our lives. Keep a journal. Writing down the things you’re grateful for will remind you of all the great things you have when other things aren’t going so well. So, keep a journal about what you’re grateful for each day or week — even if it’s just small things at first. Your perspective on life will change, and it will get easier to see the good things and to feel grateful for things you were likely overlooking. Showing gratitude is something we should do every day, all throughout the year — not just during the holidays. So, try to practice mindfulness and gratitude using these tips! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
As we prepare for our Thanksgiving feasts, Thursday night football games, and Black Friday shopping, take some time to show gratitude for those around you and for what you have. Here are a few ways to practice gratitude this month. Appreciate everything. Get into the habit of being grateful for the little things in your life. It can be easy to acknowledge the “big” things, but nothing is too small to be thankful for. You can be grateful the weather is nice and sunny, that you received the package you’ve been waiting for, or that you got out of bed today. Don’t leave out anything when practicing gratitude. Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present and aware of what’s happening around you. So, instead of being overwhelmed by what you need to do tomorrow or next week, focus on the present moment and enjoy the time you spend solo or with your loved ones. Live in the moment and take one day at a time. Tomorrow will surely come, and you only have a limited amount of time in the present.
Everyone needs to eat, but food insecurity affects millions of Americans every year, and most people become particularly aware of the problem around the holidays. While many can gather with families in a warm home and an abundance of food, others aren’t sure where they’ll find their next meal or lay their heads at night. Feeding Tampa Bay is one of the local organizations stepping up to fill in the gap. In 2021, it served more than 95 million meals across 10 counties. By 2025, it aims to provide 143 million meals each year and ensure everyone in our community has reliable access to food, effectively ending hunger in Tampa Bay. The organization serves the Tampa Bay area in several ways. It’s most famous for its food pantry network, where families can collect free household groceries. Feeding Tampa Bay also offers mobile pantries that travel to food deserts, and in response to the higher cost of many fresh foods, its produce pantry offers nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables on Saturdays. Feeding Tampa Bay also offers numerous other programs. It provides food assistance at after-school and summer programs to ensure kids receive nutritious meals. Its workers help many people with applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), so they can transition away from needing the food pantry. Three Trinity Cafe locations offer hot meals with dignity in a full-service restaurant environment. The organization notes that food insecurity can happen to anyone. Many people are only one layoff, natural disaster, or medical emergency away from needing help. Those of us who have more than we need should share the abundance. It’s the right thing to do — and none of us knows when we might end up on the other side of these services. Those looking to get involved with Feeding Tampa Bay have many options. By visiting FeedingTampaBay. org , you can learn how to volunteer your time, donate food, or contribute funds. If you want to help, there are plenty of opportunities. Finally, the seasons of gratitude and giving compel many of us to contribute more to people in need. But while many charities are inundated with volunteers around the holidays, remember that hunger is a constant problem. Feeding Tampa Bay and our other local charities need support year-round.
FIGHTING HUNGER Feeding Tampa Bay Provides Food With Dignity
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