200 Pottstown-Area Families Will Have Thanksgiving Dinner Thanks to Exelon, YWCA

Exelon donated funds for turkeys, green beans, stuffing, corn, potatoes, pies  and cranberry sauce.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the YWCA Tri-County Area.

Two hundred Pottstown-area families will have a full Thanksgiving meal this year, thanks to YWCA Tri-County Area and Exelon’s Limerick Generating Station.

Exelon donated funds to purchase a Thanksgiving meal for families whose children attend YW’s Early Education Center. Exelon employees volunteered to deliver the food on Friday. 

Each family receives a turkey, fresh green beans and potatoes, canned corn and cranberry sauce, a box of stuffing mix, and a pie.

Exelon also contributed to Operation Warm, which provides warm winter coats to the 160 children enrolled in pre-school and after-school programs at the Pottstown Early Education Center.

YWCA Tri-County Area is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. YWCA Tri-County Area is a leader in advocacy for women and girls, works to eliminate racism, and empowers women through quality affordable childcare, adult literacy, and a host of programs to support the health and vitality of women, girls, and families.

Thanks to High School Service Club for Holiday Meal

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown School District

It was not just the Pottstown High School Football Trojans who helped ensure less-fortunate families had a meal for Thanksgiving.

The Pottstown High School Service Club sponsored by Jordan Thomas helped 30 families enjoy a holiday meal. 

The Service Club lived up to it's name by organizing a canned food drive in student homerooms during the month of November. 

Hundreds of items were collected. Club members along with teachers sorted and packaged the goods,which were then delivered to families in need. 

The importance of community service is taught, emphasized and practiced by the students and staff of the Pottstown School District.

Pottstown Trojans Put the Give in Thanksgiving

Submitted Photo

From left, Owen Morton, Cole Miller, Jon Oister, Jamal Adams, Ezra Figueroa

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown School District.

Players and coaches of the Pottstown High School Trojan Football Team give more than their all on the gridiron.

This Thanksgiving, they also gave 11 local families reason to give thanks on Thanksgiving Day. 

Team members all donated money to buy the supplies with all the fixings for a Thanksgiving Day meal to help feed less fortunate members of the community. 

After huddling up at the Giant supermarket they called a play with each player knowing his assignment in gathering all of the food items.

Their next play was to sort and make meal packages for each family. 

They scored a touchdown when they personally delivered the meals to each family. 

(Sports analogies courtesy of John J. Armato)

What a Bunch of Turkeys

President Obama pardons "Popcorn" in 2012. Photos of this year's pardoning were restricted for security reasons.

Blogger's Note: Happy Thanksgiving gentle readers.

In honor of the day, I present to you the actual remarks made Wednesday by the actual president when he pardoned this year's turkeys, whose actual names are Mac and Cheese.

President Lyndon B. Johnson 

lobbies a Congressman from Tennessee...

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. Please have a seat. Normally we do this outside. The weather is not cooperating today. But I want to, first of all, on behalf of Malia and Sasha, wish everybody an early Happy Thanksgiving. I am here to announce what I’m sure will be the most talked-about executive action this month. (Laughter.) Today, I’m taking an action fully within my legal authority -- (laughter) -- the same kind of action taken by Democrats and Republican presidents before me -- to spare the lives of two turkeys, Mac and Cheese, from a terrible and delicious fate. (Laughter.)

President Richard M. Nixon could not

believe this turkey was more popular

than him.

I want to thank Joel Brandenberger, the president of the National Turkey Federation; Gary Cooper, its chairman; and his son Cole Cooper, who personally raised Mac and Cheese. Give them a big round of applause. (Applause.) Cole is keeping a pretty careful eye there on Cheese. (Laughter.) Uh-oh, he’s getting pretty excited about this.

Thanks to all those who voted online to pick the official National Thanksgiving Turkey. Cheese wants you to know that he won. (Laughter.) Mac, the alternate, is not so badly off either. Let’s face it -- if you’re a turkey, and you’re named after a side dish -- (laughter) -- your chances of escaping Thanksgiving dinner are pretty low. So these guys are well ahead of the curve. They really beat the odds.

It is important to know that turkeys have always had powerful allies. Many of you know that Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character…the turkey is, in comparison, a much more respectable bird.” (Laughter.) I think these two turkeys would agree with Mr. Franklin. And they’ll get to live out the rest of their days, respectably, at a Virginia estate with 10,000 {sic} acres of roaming space.

This turkey could find no weapon of mass destruction

on President George W. Bush.

I know some will call this amnesty -- (laughter) -- but don’t worry, there’s plenty of turkey to go around. (Laughter.) In fact, later this afternoon, Michelle, Malia and Sasha and I will take two turkeys that didn’t make the cut to a local food pantry that works hard year-round to make sure that folks in our Nation’s Capital have food to eat and clothes to wear. I want to thank Jaindl Turkey Farm in Pennsylvania for donating once again those birds for -- it's, in fact, been six years in a row that they’ve made these contributions -- and for making Thanksgiving dinner possible for some of our fellow Americans.

Finally, The Washington Post recently questioned the wisdom of the whole turkey pardon tradition. “Typically on the day before Thanksgiving,” the story went, “the man who makes decisions about wars, virus outbreaks, terrorism cells and other dire matters of state, chooses to pardon a single turkey … plus an alternate.”

"I don't know, a sea turtle?" responds President Ronald Reagan

when asked what kind of animal he was pardoning.

Tell me about it. It is a little puzzling that I do this every year. (Laughter.) But I will say that I enjoy
it because with all the tough stuff that swirls around in this office, it's nice once in a while just to say: Happy Thanksgiving. And this is a great excuse to do it.

Tomorrow is a pretty special moment when we give thanks for the people we love, and where we're mindful of the incredible blessings that we have received. We remember the folks who can’t spend their holiday at home, especially the brave men and women in uniform who help keep our country secure. And we celebrate a holiday that, at its best, is about what makes this nation great -- and that's its generosity and its openness, and, as President Franklin Roosevelt once said, our commitment, “to make a country in which no one is left out.”

Now, because I know everyone wants to get out of town, Mac and Cheese included -- (laughter) -- it
is time for me to engage in the official act. So let’s see what we can do here with Cheese.

"What did you say your name was darlin?" 

President Bill Clinton asked this turkey.

Come on, girls. (Laughter.) All right, are we ready? Cheese, you are hereby pardoned from the Thanksgiving dinner table. (Laughter.) Congratulations. (Applause.)

He looks pretty happy about it. (Laughter.) All right, if you want to take Cheese down, that's okay. (Laughter.) I will tell you, though, turkeys don't have the best-looking heads. (Laughter.) You know what I'm saying? You think they’re beautiful?

MR. COOPER: I think they’re beautiful -- they’re red, white and blue --

THE PRESIDENT: There’s a patriotism element to it. (Laughter.) Absolutely. (To Malia and Sasha) -- Do you want to pet him?

MALIA: No. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Good to see you. Appreciate you.

Thank you, everybody. Happy Thanksgiving. (Applause.)

What a Turkey!

I was trying to think of something appropriate to post for Thanksgiving.

Something insightful. Something meaningful.

And I was drawing a blank.

Then John Armato sent me this photo of first grade students at Edgewood Elementary School. They're in Diana Hofmanner's and Karen Seemann's class.

They didn't make these turkeys in class. They brought the turkey pattern home and decorated it there with their families before bringing them back to school to share.

So I'm keeping it simple.

Today, I am thankful for teachers.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

Here are a few more charming photos from Edgewood and a little information Mr. Armato sent along about their holiday party:


Kindergarten students at Edgewood Elementary School recognized the many joys in their lives and took time to give thanks. Students of Nicola Pascal, Karen Seemann, Judy Friend and Elizabeth Pickar joined their parents and grandparents at a special “First Thanksgiving Celebration” held at school.

Retired kindergarten/first grade special education teacher Ann Hayer paid a special visit to the students and helped them reenact the first Thanksgiving.

“I enjoy being able to come back and visit with our students and staff and help in the retelling of a very special time of the year,” said she said.

Children were excited about responding to questions and performing in the group sing-along. Music rang out from the school library, which was the site of the event. Popular numbers were, “Row Your Boat Ashore” and “Mr. Turkey.”

The consensus of opinion from students and parents was that “Hello Mr. Turkey” was their favorite tune.

Tahj Phillips and Rommel Johnson enjoy some pumpkin pie.

After the entertainment and history lesson, students and adults both enjoyed some pumpkin pie and juice.

Principal  Calista Boyer said, “I am happy that our students, parents, grandparents, and teachers could all take time to help learn the valuable lesson of how important it is for all of us to be thankful for the things that we have, particularly in this time of great need for many families throughout this part of the country who are recovering from Hurricane Sandy.”

In the Spirit of the Season

Mrs. Dianna Hofmanner's first grade class at Edgewood Elementary School, with Stacey Foster classroom assistant on the right and the children and their turkeys in the middle. 

 

If you don't remember doing things like this as a kid, you should.

And at the very least, you should remember those your own children made and brought home which are now worn and torn but which you probably don't quite have the heart to throw away.

Personally, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because its about getting together to eat (and drink!) and be merry instead of about buying stuff.

Don't get me wrong.

I love Christmas.

I love the decorations.

I love the Christmas cards (yes some of you are on my list).

And I particularly love the music, the inescapable spirit of fellowship and "goodwill towards men" and sense of wonder it evokes.

And hey, who doesn't like watching their kid(s) tear through a pile of swag under the tree?

But the buying of the swag, the detailing of the proper swag and, most particularly, the ever-present, incessant, non-stop, creeping, ever-expanding, insidious MARKETING of the swag is a burden no unwilling soul should have to bear.

So, me? Here's a Pilgrim's hat's off to Turkey!

(Having recently finished and enjoyed Sarah Vowell's most excellent revelatory book on what the Pilgrims and Puritans REALLY did and believed, titled "The Wordy Shipmates," I will nevertheless spare you all the rant and let sleeping turkeys lie so we can all have some peace at the table.)

Instead, I'll lift a glass and toast you all. Here's hoping you have something to be thankful for.