It’s almost my favorite time of year. Next month, I will be amongst my loved ones as we eat a hearty meal and give thanks to each other and God.

While I’m excited about the upcoming holiday, I have some concerns with how others will be spending their Thanksgiving.

After doing a story on the Selma Area Food Bank, I was reminded of the many people who won’t have the opportunity to gather around a table loaded with turkey, ham, dressing, gravy, and other delicious foods that make up a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Unfortunately, one in six people go hungry in the United States, according to Feeding America. An even more disturbing fact is the South continues to have the highest poverty rate among people in families living in rural areas, according to Feeding America.

I am guilty of being the one of the many Americans who tends to only consider the hungry when it’s holiday season or when I’m in an environment that reminds me of what others don’t have. Like the Selma Area Food Bank, we need to be fighting world hunger all year, because hunger is a year-around issue.

And it’s important to remember that ending hunger requires more than a thought. It calls for donations and volunteering.

It doesn’t take much to supply meals for the low-income community. Giving just $1 to the Selma Area Food Bank will supply 14 meals for those in need.

While volunteering with my local senior citizen’s home, I delivered meals to the community. The experience began to grow into something more than helping them. It began to be something that made my day a little brighter.

I learned more about the people in the community, people who I may have never met otherwise. Volunteering gives you an opportunity to develop a relationship you will always cherish.

The mission to end hunger can be accomplished with more sharing, whether it is time, money, or food.

We have several places in Selma that need food, monetary donations and volunteering.

I hope everyone, including myself, is able to remember the less fortunate more often. Although we all may not share the same life story, we should share a bond that encourages us to do more for each other.