Editorial: Pausing for giving thanks

Just a couple of weeks ago, unseasonably warm weather had us feeling as if Thanksgiving were weeks away.

Now, the leaves have drifted down from the trees in their spectacular hues of gold and russet and maroon, the winds have picked up, and the local shopping streets are festooned with lights.

Yes, Thanksgiving is here – keeping company with Hanukkah, for a rare change, this year – and the holiday season is well underway.

Across Brooklyn, families are planning their celebrations – beginning with the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, which brings relatives from near and far to the table together to rejoice, share a meal, and share and make memories.

For many, the holiday season provides not only an opportunity to celebrate, but a chance to take stock. While we may not have a yacht or a jewelry chest filled with sparkling diamonds, all of us have much to be grateful for, and Thanksgiving is the ideal time to reflect on the lives we have built and our many blessings.

It’s also a time to remember those who have less, which is why The Home Reporter and Brooklyn Spectator have launched a food and toy drive to benefit the families who count on Reaching-Out Community Services.

Reaching Out, a not-for-profit group right in our community, runs a food pantry year-round, upping the effort at holiday time to try to ensure that each of the 5,300 people who count on it will sit down to a festive meal at the holidays. And, to make sure that each child has a merry holiday, the organization also mounts a huge party for some 600 youngsters at which each one will receive a toy – the rationale behind the toy drive that we are spearheading right now.

Simply drop your new unwrapped toys at our office, 9733 Fourth Avenue, until noon on Thursday, December 19; non-perishable food will be collected until noon on Monday, December 23, to allow Reaching Out to have enough time to distribute all the goodies.

We wish you and yours all the best at Thanksgiving, throughout the holiday season and beyond.