Let’s make sure no one goes hungry

There’s nothing much better than a holiday that centers around a big family dinner that includes the likes of fresh roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

But this Thanksgiving, the Mat-Su Borough has a growing number of families who won’t be looking forward to tables laden with the traditional feast.

Usually, demand for food assistance decreases in the summer, says Kay Peterson. But not this year.

Peterson is leading an effort led by local churches called “Thanksgiving Blessing” that expects to supply food for about 1,200 of our neighbors.

Stop for a moment and try to imagine the strength required for a person to show up at the Food Pantry of Wasilla or the Palmer Food Bank and say, “I’m having a hard time feeding my family. Can you help?”

More than just being our neighbors, these are men and women courageous enough to put their own egos aside and ask us to help feed their families.

Maybe you’ve never come home to find some kind soul has left groceries for you on your porch. Maybe you have been lucky enough to never be hungry, to never need help.

But that’s not true of all of our neighbors.

Some of our neighbors work every day and still don’t bring home enough money to afford rent and food.

Mostly we forget that all it would take is a lost job or a medical emergency for any of us to walk in these shoes. As the oft-repeated adage says, “There but for the grace of God, go we.”

The hungry among us are from many walks of life. They are homeless families, homeless teens. Some are seniors living on a fixed income. Others are families working multiple low-wage jobs that offer no health insurance.

Whatever the circumstances that have left our neighbors hungry, we have a chance to help.

Through the local food banks in Wasilla and Palmer, as well as the Food Bank of Alaska, we have the opportunity to end hunger in our community year-round.

Local church groups have taken this effort a long way by raising money to buy perishable items like turkeys and pies for Thanksgiving, but they need our help with donations of non-perishable items like canned goods and cash.

As those with more, we think it is our responsibility to show compassion through our actions for the least, the last and the lost.

So drop off some canned goods — or cash — at a local food pantry this season. What better way to love our neighbors than to make sure not one of them goes hungry?

• The Food Pantry of Wasilla, 501 E Bogard Road, can be reached by phone at 357-3769.

• The Palmer Food Bank, 221 S. Valley Way, can be reached by phone at 746-3565.

• The Food Bank of Alaska, 2121 Spar Avenue, in Anchorage can be reached by phone at (907) 272-3663.