Resolve to observe 2-pronged purpose of Thanksgiving Day

As citizens of the United States, as residents of the Mahoning Valley and as members of proud families, Thanksgiving Day 2014 affords all an opportune time to reflect on the blessings and bounties bestowed upon us over the past year.

As we gather today around tables to reunite with loved ones and feast upon turkey with all the trimmings, it is instructive to recall the foundation of the tradition 393 years ago. At that first Thanksgiving in Plymouth Colony, Pilgrims and Native Americans sat down together in a spirit of peace and acceptance of diversity to celebrate their collective good fortune.

But in 1621, just as in 2014, not all of this nation’s people had a seat at the table of plenty. Hardships, poverty, disease and famine ran rampant.

And then, just as now, the dual nature of today’s holiday is stark. While many Americans rejoice with heaping helpings of reasons to give thanks, many others scrimp, scrape and struggle just to survive another day.

To be sure, however, most of us have more than ample reasons to give thanks.

As Americans, over the past 12 months, our economy made noticeable sharp turns from stagnancy toward increased prosperity. Our nation is winding down a 13-year-long war on terror in Afghanistan that cost the nation billions in dollars and more than 6,000 American lives. And our 238-year-old experiment in democracy survived and rose above a bruising, divisive and oftentimes mean-spirited set of national midterm elections.

As Mahoning Valley residents, we have seen a wealth of signs of collective improvement as well. Wednesday’s front-page headline, for example, heralded an unemployment rate for the region of 4.9 percent, its lowest level in 14 years. The Lordstown General Motors complex has witnessed employment growth, an explosion in sales and an international reputation for quality. Just this week, the 2015 Cruze beat out 48 other car models to win the 2014 fleet car of the year by Automotive Fleet and Business Fleet magazines. Over the past year, too, the Valley has expanded and diversified its economic base, adding hundreds of jobs to new businesses ranging from advanced manufacturing facilities to the glitzy Hollywood Gaming and Mahoning Valley Race Course .

In addition, as individuals and family members, we have many good old reliable reasons to give thanks to our loved ones who have supported us, nurtured us and stuck by us through hardship and happiness.

Reasons for giving abound

Yet amid the optimism at the start of the season of joy, lingering signs of adversity endure. Many will not enjoy the Norman Rockwell tableau of Thanksgiving Day today because hardship takes no holiday.

Throughout the Valley, about 40,000 children and their families live in poverty. In 2013, the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley fulfilled 15,000 requests for emergency food assistance each week, proving that the economic recovery continues to bypass many among us.

That is why the “giving” aspect of Thanksgiving continues to demand special attention and action today and throughout the holiday season. Opportunities abound in our community to do so. Take part in The Vindicator’s Operation Holiday Cheer to lift the spirits of our selfless service men and women overseas. Contribute to “Project: Feed Our Valley” led by our broadcast partner 21 WFMJ-TV to ensure the growing needs of Second Harvest are met. Volunteer time to any of the Valley’s army of helping agencies.

In a Thanksgiving Day Proclamation for America, President Barack Obama captured the essence of the holiday and its two-pronged set of responsibilities: “I encourage the people of the United States to join together — whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place of fellowship for friends and neighbors — and give thanks for all we have received in the past year, express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own, and share our bounty with others.”