It’s the season of gratitude and giving, and we have so many blessings in our lives to be thankful for. As we progress into the week of Thanksgiving, its important to remember those around us who may be struggling and in need of many of the basic essentials that can be taken for granted.

A beautiful project you can work on with the entire family is creating blessing baskets that can be taken to local churches, food banks or shelters to provide staples for a Thanksgiving meal for a family.  Here are some ideas to get you started.

Choose a sturdy basket- This basket can then be used for storage after the food is removed.

·       Canned or cooked Ham

·       Canned green beans

·       French onion soup mix

·       Crispy onion toppers

·       Canned yams

·       Instant potatoes/potatoes

·       Marshmallows

·       Canned corn

·       Canned cranberry sauce

·       Corn bread mix

·       Stuffing mix

·       Canned or packet of gravy

·       Boxed Macaroni & Cheese

·       Cake or Cookies (mixes too)

·       Tea or lemonade mix

·       Coffee or hot chocolate

You may also want to include a grocery store gift card, holiday-themed paper products, extra paper products (always needed) single-use cooking pans for ease of use.

**Remember, you do not want to include any items that can spoil within 24 hours. Even though I know y'all are going to want to include a wonderful homemade pie!

This list is just a start or guideline, your basket is unique and can be filled with a multitude of needed items. The goal is to provide a wonderful holiday meal for a family in need. Including extras is always encouraged and we know will be appreciated. Let the giving spirit soar. 

Decorating your baskets in an autumnal theme could also be a nice touch. Don’t overdo it but making this a special basket is very important.

For a list of Beaufort area local food banks, click here.

Do you and your family have Thanksgiving traditions of giving back? I'd love to have you share them to my Facebook page. The more ideas we can share the more kindness and gratitude we can share. 

Remember, there’s no greater joy than the joy of serving others.