VOA标准英语2011--Thanksgiving Food Drive Feeds Low-Income Residents

Thanksgiving Food Drive Feeds Low-Income Residents¹

The Thanksgiving holiday, celebrated² 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.

Volunteers of America helper Rodney Cunningham unloads³ boxes of Thanksgiving food for low-income families. He’ll be getting a box himself to feed his four children and grandchildren.

“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.”

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.

“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.”

Jim White, director of community affairs at the charity, says local residents donate the food.

“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 stuffing⁴ and cranberries⁵ and pumpkin⁶ and fresh produce and then they are all topped off with a 15-pound (6.8-kilogram) frozen⁷ turkey,” he explains.

Thanksgiving is not just about eating well, he adds.

“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 noun⁸ and what better way to give thanks than to help somebody out that you know is struggling right now.”

Making sure people get a good Thanksgiving dinner is, for Cunningham, the best part of his work.

“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.

And that is what drives him to keep volunteering.

1 residents   

n.居民( resident的名词复数 )；（旅馆的）住宿者

参考例句：

• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。
• Local residents have reacted angrily to the news. 当地居民对这一消息表示愤怒。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 unloads   

从…卸下货物( unload的第三人称单数 )； 摆脱； 拆掉； 脱手

参考例句：

• Unloads an application at the specified key (and its subkeys). 按指定的关键字（及其子关键字）卸载应用程序。
• Automatically unloads and stops a compressor if it is not needed. 需求量不大的时候，它会自动卸载和停一台机。

4 stuffing   

n.填充物vt.填充(stuff的现在分词)

参考例句：

• We had a chicken and stuffing, and new potatoes from the garden. 我们吃了只百宝鸡，还有园子里种的新鲜马铃薯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She had already mixed the stuffing for the dumplings. 她已经把饺子馅和好了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 cranberries   

n.越橘( cranberry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The tart flavour of the cranberries adds piquancy. 越橘的酸味很可口。
• Look at the fresh cranberries. 你看这些新鲜的蔓越橘。 来自无师自通 校园英语会话

6 pumpkin   

n.南瓜

参考例句：

• They ate turkey and pumpkin pie.他们吃了火鸡和南瓜馅饼。
• It looks like there is a person looking out of the pumpkin!看起来就像南瓜里有人在看着你！

7 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

8 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。