To the editor:

When you gave thanks on Thanksgiving Day, I wonder what was on your “thank you” list.

Health, family, friends, employment; all the “usuals”, I would guess. They were on my list too. Also there (as it has been for over 30 years!) was thanks for living in such a beautiful, peaceful place, peopled by such interesting and caring folk.

But this year, my list was extra long. Having quickly realized that I couldn’t invite just one Syrian refugee family to my home without inviting several others and that, “Oh, I would need translators” and “Oh, my house couldn’t hold that many,” I teamed up with some Seattle volunteers (including Bainbridge native Kirsten Rogers) to host Thanksgiving for nearly 80 Syrian refugees at the Impact Hub in Pioneer Square.

Not only were we able to feed everyone abundantly, and send many home with “doggie bags” (thanks to T&C for the take-out boxes!), we had so much that we sent a great deal of food across the street to Union Gospel Mission, where more than a thousand meals were expected to be served to the homeless! It was my very best Thanksgiving, but it means that I now have an even longer “Thank you” list than ever before!

To all those who cooked, bought food, came to Seattle to serve and help or who donated money so that we could share an absolute feast of an American Thanksgiving with our new Syrian neighbors, thank you, thank you, thank you! YOU are what Thanksgiving and being an American are all about!

In no particular order, thank you to Barbara Simonsen (and family), Bonny Danielson, Anne Darling Burt and Carly Burt, Debra Allen, Marilyn Dearsley, Debra and Proctor Schenk, Bonnie Stafford, Alice Mendoza and Carl Lindbloom, Carol Bodnar, Gerardo Aquayo, Colleen Adams, Debra Nitsche, Necie Toohey, Rachel Yobs, Gloria Saylor, Connie Doe, Jessica Ainsworth, Kathleen and Stephanie Scharrer, Elise Wright, Marc Schor, Mairead and Jason Shutt (and children), Cheryl Todd, Rita Elsworth, David and Susan Grosten, Lynn DeVree and Marilyn Turkovich, Leah Applewhite, Pat Baillargeon and Scott and Loretta Stanton.

I’m sure there are others and if I’ve left you out, I apologize. Please know that many happy people and many full tummies thanked you too on Thanksgiving Day!

ELLIN SPENSER

Bainbridge Island