Pass the turkey, but keep essence of Thanksgiving

As citizens of the United States, as residents of the Mahoning Valley and as members of proud families, Thanksgiving Day 2015 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 succulent turkey with all the tasty trimmings, it is instructive to recall the foundation of the tradition 394 years ago. At that first Thanksgiving in Plymouth Colony, Pilgrims and the indigenous Native American Wampanoag tribe sat down together in a spirit of peace and acceptance of diversity to celebrate their collective bountiful harvest and good fortune.

But in 1621, just as in 2015, not all of this nation’s people had a seat at the table of plenty. Then, as now, hardships, poverty, disease and famine ran rampant.

And today, just as in 17th century Plymouth, the dual nature of this holiday remains 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 on this national holiday.

As Americans, over the past 12 months, our economy made noticeable sharp turns from stagnancy toward increased prosperity. Our nation has wound down a 14-year-long war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq that cost the nation billions in dollars and more than 6,000 American lives. And our 240-year-old experiment in democracy has survived and risen above oftentimes bruising, divisive and mean-spirited political discourse and social discord.

As Mahoning Valley residents, we have seen a wealth of signs of collective improvement as well. A Vindicator story Wednesday, for example, heralded an unemployment rate for the region of 5.3 percent, one of the lowest rates in years. The Lordstown General Motors complex has witnessed employment growth, strong sales and a new four-year contract that promises to be mutually beneficial to the company, its workers and the Valley. Over the past year, too, the Valley has expanded and diversified its economic base,most notably through the investment of more than $1 billion into two natural-gas powered electrical generating plants in Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

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 take a seat in the Norman Rockwell tableau of Thanksgiving Day abundance today because hardship takes no holiday.

Throughout the Valley, the decline in hydraulic fracturing activity and unfair trade policies have idled thousands of workers at steel and other support industries this fall. More broadly, about 40,000 children and their families struggle daily with life in poverty. In 2014, the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley fulfilled 15,000 requests for emergency food assistance each week and distributed a record 9.5 million pounds of food to hunger-relief agencies in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties, 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. 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. Drop your spare change into the iconic red kettles alongside the selfless Salvation Army bell-ringers at local merchants.

In his 2015 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation for America, President Barack Obama captures the essence of this holiday: “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.”