Everyone knows the history of Thanksgiving, I’m sure many re-enacted the first feast during elementary school. The pilgrims sail over on the Mayflower, and soon realize they have no idea how they hell they’re going to survive. Luckily the Native Americans step in and help them harvest corn, build log houses and make fire. The happy pilgrims then threw them a grand feast to thank them for all of their help. I, for one, was probably the best Native American chief that the Peter W. Reilly Elementary School has ever seen.

Unfortunately, as college students, many of us lose sight of the meaning of Thanksgiving. The holiday is simply a week away, and the much-needed break and turkey feast is all most of us can think about. But it’s important to remember the significance, especially if you plan on eating your weight in mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie (I certainly do.)

With all the bad that’s happening in the world, it’s important for us to be thankful for what we do have, families and friends, our health, an exceptional education, etc. All things I’m sure many of us take for granted, but things that so many people around the world don’t have. It sounds cheesy, and trust me I’m always the first one to tell my mom to just serve the food already whenever she tries to get everyone around the table to say one thing their thankful for. But as much as I hate to admit it, my mom may be right about this one.

The best way for us to show our thanks is to give back, in any way possible. Syracuse University is filled with non-profit organizations that are dedicated to giving back to the community.

There are currently an estimated 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS, and more than 25 million people have died from the disease since the first cases appeared in 1981. With no known cure, education is imperative in fighting HIV/AIDS.

Emily Allen began OrangeAID last semester after realizing that there was no student group focused on the disease. This semester, Joanne Kurman and Alexandra Rosenfeld are co-presidents of the organization while Allen is studying abroad.

‘There really wasn’t a group on campus that promoted HIV/AIDS awareness,’ said Kurman, a junior. ‘We felt it was really important to educate and engage the SU community.’

OrangeAID works closely with AIDS Community Resources (ACR) to help educate and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. The group has participated in several HIV/AIDS walks including ACR’s most recent ‘First Frost AIDS Walk,’ that was held on Oct. 18. In addition, they volunteered and helped to promote the AIDS Memorial Quilt Exhibition in the Goldstein Auditorium last week.

Rosenfeld, also a junior, said: ‘We’re all about promoting HIV/AIDS awareness. We want to help spread the word about the disease and how to prevent it.’

Several events are being planned for the spring semester and with World AIDS day on Dec. 1st, there’s no better time to become involved with OrangeAID.

E-mail Joanna Kurman (jckurman@syr.edu) or Rosenfeld (aerosenf@syr.edu) for more information on how to get involved.

Many people associate hunger and poverty with Africa, or other Third World countries, but according to www.bread.org, ‘35.5 million people-including 12.6 million children-live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents more than one in ten households in the United States.’ Sophomore Patrick Alvarez was aware that hunger affects the U.S, as much as it does anywhere else, and started Project Feed Me upon entering SU his freshman year. The organization focuses on overcoming poverty, hunger and the absence of youth involvement within the community.

‘Our purpose is to inspire to motivate to unify,’ said Alvarez, whose second annual basketball tournament, held on Nov. 2, raised over $1,000.

With Thanksgiving next week, Project Feed Me will be hosting two Unity dinners. The first will be on Sunday, Nov. 22 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Syracuse’s Southwest Community Center; the second will be on Tuesday in NYC.

Leah Moushey, secretary at Project Feed Me, said ‘The mission of Project Feed me is to distribute food items to families in need in conjunction with other organizations. In doing this, we wish to not only galvanize the support of Syracuse University but also local community leaders.’

The group hopes to feed over 300 families at both events. The dinner at the SCC is funded by grants along with the money raised from their second annual basketball tournament. The NYC event will be sponsored by the N.Y. Knicks.

‘We believe that we can be a vessel of hope and faith and instrument of productive change in our community and envision a new tomorrow free of hunger,’ says Moushey. To get involved with Project Feed Me, visit projectfeedme.org.

Those are just two of the many non-profits here at SU. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) just started a chapter; the American Red Cross also has a club at SU, and Habitat for Humanity is active.

So enjoy the break and stuff your face, but take a moment to think about what you’re thankful for. And upon returning to SU, consider joining one of the many non-profits here.

Lauren Tousignant is sophomore communications and rhetorical studies major. She is the opinion editor at The Daily Orange where her columns appear occasionally. She can be reached at letousig@syr.edu .

Published on November 18, 2009 at 12:00 pm