While much of folklore surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States is inaccurate at best or intentionally misleading at worst, most of us do gather with loved ones on the fourth Thursday each November to enjoy a meal and give thanks. And like many other fall festivals around the world, ours started out and more or less continues to be a celebration of the harvest. We've created this collection to celebrate those origins by highlighting recent solutions journalism about the innovative and truly fascinating ways that Americans are continuing to improve upon this most basic of human activities – the growing and sharing of food. In previous years, we've brought you collections about innovations in food production; this year, we are bringing you news about collaborative methods of bringing food into communities that previously lacked access to affordable, fresh, nutritious groceries. Pick a favorite and share what you learn with whoever is lucky enough to sit next to you at dinner on Thursday!
In Oklahoma, the Quapaw tribe combines Indigenous food and farming knowledge with modern hotel operations at the Downstream Casino Resort, reclaiming their land and food sovereignty.
In Waco and Dallas, community-based markets are bringing nutritious food to residents in economically disadvantaged areas that used to be food deserts.
In Detroit, entrepreneurs are finding grant funding and supportive programs to help them build a Black-owned food ecosystem - and combat stereotypes about the dietary preferences of local residents.
And in Philadelphia, the community organization Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha started a club to let local residents to buy food in bulk at wholesale prices, increasing food security by bringing affordable, nutritious food to their neighborhood.
- Which stories did you pick to discuss at Thanksgiving dinner? Why?
- Was the innovation in the story addressing an issue you are interested in or passionate about, such as health, food security, animal rights?
- Since these stories are all solutions journalism stories (that is, they focus on a response to a social or environmental problem rather than just the problem itself), did that make it more interesting or easier to discuss than if the story had focused only on the problem? If so, why?
- Did you have a conversation with someone you might not have chatted with otherwise? Who? Why?