Giving thanks

I've resisted the urge to get all preachy this Thanksgiving, inspired in part by an article my brother sent to me from The Onion about stress-free family holiday gatherings ("Do not invite any newspaper or magazine columnists who publish an annual column about how we Americans have lost sight of the true meaning of Thanksgiving," they advise).

But I couldn't let this news release from the Iowa Policy Project go unmentioned, even if it means being disinvited from the family feast.

The group crunched Census and U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers to find that 11.9 percent of Iowa households experienced "food insecurity" between 2007 and 2009 -- the most recent numbers available. In plain English: In more than one Iowa home in 10, it wasn't always clear where the next meal was coming from.

According to the group, that number has stayed pretty steady from the three previous years -- much higher than it was in earlier decades. The report also finds that 5 percent of Iowa housholds had "very low" food security -- routinely struggling to put food on the table.

“When we live in the heart of farm country and have critical food assistance support available, the idea of 5 percent of the households in our state facing this challenge of severe food insecurity is tragic and unacceptable,” the release quotes IPP research associate Andrew Cannon. That almost goes without saying.

In the wake of this news report by The Gazette's Molly Rossiter, which shows area food pantries are dangerously low on supplies, it's a reminder that most of us have a little more to be thankful for this year than we might tend to think.

And the ability to make an enormous difference in some struggling neighbors' lives. Even a modest donation to your local food pantry can keep a family from going hungry for a night or two.

So don't forget when you're counting your blessings this week to remember what a blessing you can be to the folks around you.

End preachiness.