The Thanksgiving holiday, celebrated in the U.S. on the last Thursday of November is a big date, but for those with a low income, getting a traditional dinner on the table can be a struggle. In Denver, Colorado, the Volunteers of America charity is preparing a food drive to make sure those families get the food they need.
就美国人的传统假日来说，感恩节当天的晚餐算是一件大事儿。但是对那些收入不高的家庭来说，感恩节大餐的费用不算小事。在科罗拉多州的丹佛市，慈善机构“美国志愿者”(Volunteers of America)为了能在感恩节让收入不高的家庭也都能吃上节日大餐，展开了收集食品的行动。
Volunteers of America helper Rodney Cunningham unloads boxes of Thanksgiving food for low-income families. He’ll be getting a box himself to feed his four children and grandchildren.
坎宁汉姆说，他知道这一活动的意义，因为他本人就将领取一份食品箱，让他四个孩子和孙辈也能吃上节日大餐。
“This Thanksgiving box is very important because I don’t receive food stamps or anything," he explains, "so this is the only way that I would be able to get a Turkey and the other things going with it.”
他说：“感恩节食品箱很重要，因为我本人不拿政府发的食品券，也不拿任何其他的补贴，这个食品箱是我唯一能够领得一只火鸡和其它感恩节食品的方式。”
Cunningham and other volunteers are sorting the food into 1,500 baskets ready to deliver on Thanksgiving Day. The baskets will be filled with all sorts of tasty treats that make up a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Demand has been greater than ever this year, Cunningham says.
坎宁汉姆和其他义工把食物分成1500个篮子，准备好在感恩节当天发放。“美国志愿者”都将装满食物的篮子，送给这一地区的低收入家庭或者是个人。篮子里装的，是传统的感恩节大餐美味。坎宁汉姆说，今年，对这些食品篮的需求量，比往年似乎都要大。
“One of the reasons why it’s really important is because the economy is pretty bad and a lot of people have a need for extra food. They don’t have any food at all.”
他说：“把这些篮子准备好的原因之一，是当下的经济状况比较糟，很多人都需要额外的食物来源。有些人什么食物来源都没有。”
Jim White, director of community affairs at the charity, says local residents donate the food.
吉姆.怀特是“美国志愿者”的地区事务主任，他说捐献食品是个不小的贡献。
“These individuals donated over 148 tons of food but it takes a huge amount of food as you can imagine to do 1,500 food baskets complete with stuffing and cranberries and pumpkin and fresh produce and then they are all topped off with a 15-pound (6.8-kilogram) frozen turkey,” he explains.
他说：“这些好心人捐出了超过148吨食品，不过要装好1500个食品篮需要大量食品，要有火鸡填料、蔓越莓酱、南瓜，还有新鲜蔬菜。最重要的是，每份都有一只15磅重的冷冻火鸡。”
Thanksgiving is not just about eating well, he adds.
他说感恩节不仅仅意味着吃一次大餐。
“Whatever your situation is we all have a lot to be thankful for," White says. "And Thanksgiving should be viewed as a verb not a noun and what better way to give thanks than to help somebody out that you know is struggling right now.”
怀特说：“不论你的情况如何，我们都有很多人和事要感恩。感恩不仅仅是个名词，还是个动词，要付出实际行动。有什么比帮助那些深处困境的人更能表达感恩意义的呢？”
Making sure people get a good Thanksgiving dinner is, for Cunningham, the best part of his work.
坎宁汉姆说，让人们能有一次感恩大餐是他工作中最有意义的部分。
“They are very happy. They are blessed and it makes me feel to good to see the smiles on their faces, you know, it’s like you can see their stomach get big like they are full,” White says.
他说：“他们非常高兴，他们受到呵护，他们脸上露出微笑这让我感到特别高兴。”
And that is what drives him to keep volunteering.
他说，这样的景象让他们感到付出的艰辛很值得。 |