This week at school, my daughter’s class celebrated Thanksgiving with a simple feast: harvest veggie soup, cornbread, pumpkin bread, homemade butter. They’ve been studying flight this fall, so before the kids sat down to eat, they marched through the school with handmade balloon creatures, proudly staging their own version of the Macy’s parade.

As I watched these little people so high on their own awesomeness, I realized yet again why I write this blog and why I’m that pain-in-the-ass class mom who directs traffic every time there’s a food event. It’s because we — parents, teachers, caregivers, kid-lovers — have an obligation to those growing bodies and brains. Food is fundamental. It’s life itself. And now — right now, before they’re jaded in palate and spirit — is when our kids are ready to hear what we have to say, able to learn what we have to teach.

I’m thankful for my daughter and how she’s inspired me to think about food beyond our family. And I’m thankful for every other child in this crazy world, grateful for their innocence and joyfulness, and hopeful that we — the grown-ups — will do right by them.

Happy Thanksgiving, all.

With donation season here, I’d like to point you to a post from last year about donations to food banks: Would you feed your own kid the same food you donate to food pantries? Aside from asking that loaded question, the piece advocates for giving cash instead of food. And there’s a link to a group that tracks which food pantries can accept fresh produce. The reader comments on this piece are exceptionally thoughtful and insightful.

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