Thanksgiving is less than three weeks away and many of us have already put dibs  on a turkey that right now is blissfully strutting and scratching around on a farm. Soon we’ll be happily finalizing invitations and planning menus while poring over cookbooks and recipe files.

And finally at the annual Thanksgiving feast, sitting around the table, someone, the hostess or host or patriarch or matriarch will say a few words acknowledging how lucky or blessed we all are; we will nod, and we will raise our glasses in a toast, and we will give thanks. Thank you, we will say to each other, or to some intangible force or entity who has smiled on lucky us, and that will be the extent of our thanks, and that will be the extent of our giving.

Canadians are obsessed with talking about the food we’re cooking and the meals we’re having. We discuss the restaurants we’re going to or want to visit with wild excitement. We photograph our food and share it on social media channels. Every day, close to ten thousand Canadians use hashtags like #food, #nomnomnom, #yummy and #foodie*. By comparison, #endhunger and #hunger are used on average less than 400 times a day- hungerawarenessweek.ca

This year, how about giving more than just thanks. Today marks the end of Hunger Awareness Week  created in 2008 to provide food banks with an opportunity to educate about the reality of hunger in Canada and to encourage all Canadians to make a choice to help those in need.

Were you aware that it was Hunger Awareness Week? For thousands of Canadians, every week is hunger awareness week, every day thousands of children, and men and women all across Canada wake up hungry and go to bed hungry, and food banks across our country.

“Food Banks Canada supports a unique network of over 3,000 food-related organizations in every province and territory that assists close to 850,000 Canadians each month. Together our network shares over 200 million pounds of essential safe quality food annually, provides social programs that help to foster self-sufficiency, and advocates for policy change that will help create a Canada where no one goes hungry” –https://www.foodbankscanada.ca/

If you missed Hunger Awareness Week, or are looking for ideas on how to help out or to learn more, check out their website. Just because we may have missed out on the week designated to draw awareness, doesn’t mean we cannot participate throughout the year. Initiatives like the Gratitude Bag are out there we take the time to look.

Check out this new initiative from UberEats:

This video is just the beginning. This Friday, September 25th, we’re partnering with local restaurant The Goods, along with food rescue organization Second Harvest, to bring meals to those in need on what we’re calling #UberHUNGERTO day. Simply pop open your Uber app between 11am-2pm to order a meal through UberEATS. We’ll match your order and ensure someone in need receives lunch.

New to Uber? Sign up with the promo code UberHUNGERTO for your first meal free this Friday and we’ll be sure to get a meal to someone who could really use it. Promo code expires 12/31/2015. – from the Uber website

Action Against Hunger  is organizing a month long campaign in October that will appeal to all foodies and give us an easy and user-delicious way to get involved. Founded in France in 1979, Action Against Hunger / Action contre la Faim (ACF) is a leading international humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger, with a special focus on children under five. ACF programs save lives and provide communities with long-term solutions to hunger and its underlying causes. ACF works in more than 45 countries and reaches approximately 7 million people annually.

In October ACF  presents the fourth annual Love Food Give Food campaign, designed to raise funds as well as awareness about child hunger on a global basis, and to present solutions that exist to help end it.

“Canadians love to eat out and try new cuisines – so this is a perfect opportunity to try a new restaurant and give back in the process,” says Matt Blondin, a Toronto chef who has worked with Action Against Hunger in Peru. “I was impressed to see how the Action Against Hunger team helped Peruvian villagers understand how and why their children get sick, and educate them so they can prevent it from happening. That is what makes this organization fantastic.”

There are several ways to get involved in this year’s campaign, from dining at participating restaurants, to attending the main event – Love Food Fest on October 15 – to hosting your own dinner party fundraiser.

Love Food Give Food Restaurant Program

During the month of October, Torontonians can order special Love Food Give Food menu items at participating restaurants. Each restaurant will then donate $1 from that item to support Action Against Hunger’s fight against malnutrition.

Love Food Fest

Taste the world on a plate! Featuring more than a dozen talented Toronto chefs and eight craft breweries and wineries, this evening of unlimited food, fun, and drinks helps support Action Against Hunger. Spread the word using #LoveFoodTO.

When: Thursday, October 15, 2015, 6-9:30pm

Where: The Gallery @ 99 Sudbury Street, Toronto

Each chef will prepare a dish inspired by the cuisine from one of the more than 45 countries in which Action Against Hunger works. For example, Celestin chef Ivan Tarazona is cooking something inspired by Peru and Levetto chef Shahir Massoud is cooking a dish inspired by Lebanon’s cuisine. The full chef list is available at lovefoodgivefood.ca.

This October, when you give thanks, why not put a little money where your mouth is.