With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season upon us, it is all too easy to get lost scanning ads for the best Black Friday shopping deals, searching for decorations to brighten up your home, and making sure you have enough food to feed all of your relatives coming over for Thanksgiving dinner. In the past few years, it seems as though the Thanksgiving holiday has become more and more overlooked with stores opening up on Thanksgiving Day for holiday deals, and holiday decorations on store shelves before Halloween has even passed. Taking time to give thanks and give back are two ways you can keep the spirit of Thanksgiving alive.

Thanksgiving allows us a wonderful opportunity to pause and think about the people, things, and experiences we can be thankful for. In doing this, we can also realize that others are not so lucky when it comes to basic needs such as shelter, food, income, and companionship. This Thanksgiving, challenge yourself to think about how you can positively impact others, and act on it.

How can you do this? Shelters and soup kitchens are always looking for volunteers to serve meals, or donate food or money. If you are not interested in serving food, you could volunteer to visit nursing homes, hospitals, or children’s centers to spread holiday spirit and brighten someone’s day. You can volunteer on your own to meet new people and learn their stories, volunteer with co-workers for a team-building experience outside of the office, or volunteer with friends or family members to give new meaning to your Thanksgiving holiday. However you choose to give back, you will be giving others something to be thankful for.