Blessings come from giving

You don’t have to be religious to recognize a blessing.

That message is reinforced at this time every year as the Valley celebrates the holiday season with generosity, good will and selflessness. It’s also why we’re excited to attend the Thanksgiving Blessing event that returns Saturday. The event, a collaborative effort of Valley churches and organizations, is an expansion of similar events in Anchorage sponsored by the Food Bank of Alaska.

Last year, the food bank reached out to the Valley, and we responded by serving up everything needed for a great Thanksgiving meal to 850 families, an estimated 4,250 to 5,100 people. More than 200 people volunteered to organize and staff the effort.

This year, the blessing coordinator said about 1,200 Valley families — 6,000 to 7,200 people — are expected to be served by the blessing event at four locations ranging from Wasilla to Trapper Creek.

While called a “blessing” event and heavily supported by the faith community, the real message of the mission is fellowship. We were privileged to attend the first Valley event last year and will be there again Saturday. We were touched by the heartfelt gratitude and humble thanks from those who were served.

One man was frank about what the Thanksgiving Blessing meant. “Without this, I wouldn’t have Thanksgiving this year, to be honest,” he said. “I certainly appreciate this and I’m sure there are a lot of others who appreciate it much more than I.”

Another story came from a woman who, beaming ear-to-ear, bustled out to her car loaded with turkeys, roasting pans, potatoes and all the trimmings. The food was for her daughter’s family, which was having a bad time, and was to be a surprise.

“When she sees the food, she’s going to cry,” the woman said.

As inspiring as meeting those who are served at events like this are the volunteers who say they are the blessed ones.

This is a mission the Food Bank of Alaska and the local food pantries in the Valley meet year-round. It’s also reflected in the thousands served and hundreds of volunteers who will repeat the process next month at the Christmas Blessing, and those at the annual Christmas Friendship Dinner on Christmas Day.

It does feel good to give, but more than that, there is a genuine need for help in the Valley. That this year’s organizers expect to feed as many as 7,200 people this Thanksgiving is telling. In a borough with nearly 90,000 people, that’s about 8 percent of us.

If you can use a little help this Thanksgiving, don’t hesitate to attend the Valley Thanksgiving Blessing events in Wasilla, Willow, Talkeetna or Trapper Creek. If you can give a little help, you’d also be welcome.