Spirit of the Thanksgiving Feast

November 19, 2009 at 2:24 pm, by Julie Bain

Don’t you love Thanksgiving? I think it’s one of the few holidays that has remained relatively free of crass commercialization. It celebrates family, tradition, good food—and remembering to be grateful for all we have (plus a little football, of course).

This has been a tough year for so many people. According to a survey by fundraising food cooperative Market Day, nearly half of the respondents said they’re concerned about the expense of preparing Thanksgiving dinner this year. About 60 percent said they’ll try to reduce costs by serving fewer dishes. But luckily, Thanksgiving was the original potluck, right? Everybody contributes. About 83 percent said they ask guests to bring a dish, according to the survey. It’s the perfect solution. So what are you bringing to the party?

Trudi Temple, the founder of Market Day, is an inspiration on this food-focused holiday.  Back in the mid ’70s in Illinois, she started buying fresh produce from the wholesale market in Chicago and offering it to friends and neighbors to support her missionary work. When her young daughter asked her to bake a cake for a school fundraiser, she brought fresh fruits and veggies instead, and it was (surprise!) a hit. Soon other schools were creating Produce Days to raise money, and Temple added meats and seafood to the mix. That’s how the Market Day concept came about. Now it’s a big fundraising organization that has raised $460 million so far for schools and organizations across the country. You can order all kinds of foods on the site yourself, and proceeds go directly to the schools and others in need. That’s a feast you can feel good about!