This week, two Thanksgiving dinners took place in Poplarville. The Torrence Family Schoolhouse 4-H Club hosted the first one and the second included a joint effort between the culinary classes from Pearl River Central High School and Poplarville High School.

Both events gave citizens in the community an opportunity to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal. With Thanksgiving a week away and Christmas right around the corner, we’ll see organizations across the community join in on the holiday spirit by providing free meals to people who are less fortunate in our community. With so many of these events taking place, let’s not forget to help out, if possible, and brighten someone’s day.

When I was a member of the soccer team in high school, every year for Thanksgiving we volunteered with a local organization, which also helped serve a hot meal to citizens within the community. I remember seeing people at these events and how they enjoyed every bite of their food. At the end, they would always come say “thank you for the meal,” which honestly, made it all worth it. Growing up, I never worried about what my next meal was going to be or when it was going to come, but I knew there were people who did worry about those things. From my experience while volunteering, I realize we might have a lot of things to be thankful for, but at the same time, let’s not forget to help others who might not have the same resources that we do.

At the end of the day, I’m glad to see people from all ages volunteer and hope more people will join them in the future.