It’s hard to believe that November is already more than half over and Thanksgiving is upon us. Before we know it, it will be 2012!

During this Thanksgiving and holiday season, I’d like to take a moment to encourage my constituents to volunteer their time or make a donation of food or clothing to help out a neighbor or family in need.

The Salvation Army will be sponsoring their annual Thanksgiving dinner, which hosts more than 500 people. The Thanksgiving dinner will be served from 11 am until 2 pm.

Other free Thanksgiving dinners in the area include:

• Community Wide Thanksgiving Dinner, First United Methodist Church of Gouverneur, 34 Grove Street, 12 noon. The dinner is free and pick-up and deliveries are available. Call 287-2440 for more in formation.
• The Lowville United Methodist Church also will host a free Thanksgiving dinner starting at 12 noon. Call 376-2123 for more information.
• Community Thanksgiving Feast, Carthage Elks Lodge, 11:30-1:30 pm. The dinner is free and deliveries are available in the immediate Carthage area. Call 493-4043 for more information.

My staff and I also are collecting donations of new and gently-used coats, hats, gloves, scarves and mittens at my district office in Carthage. We’ll be taking donations through December 15th, and then all items will be given to the St. James Food Pantry in Carthage for distribution. You also can drop off items to my insurance office, B.E.L. Associates, on State Street in Watertown.

Whether you can volunteer your time for a holiday dinner or make a donation for a needy person, I hope that you will take the opportunity to help out the less fortunate in our community this holiday season.