As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, many families are having smaller groups than usual around the table. The Coronavirus has made it difficult or impossible to get everyone together for Thanksgiving 2020. If you are unable to be with some people in your family, this would be a great opportunity to call people or link up with them online.
It is important to remind ourselves of the things for which we are truly thankful. Some reasons for gratitude are national, while others are local. As Americans, we have been blessed to live in a free society with great resources. Millions of people have come here from around the world to enjoy freedoms and opportunities that were not available in the countries of their birth.
We should all be glad that the various vaccines for the Coronavirus are on the way. We can be truly thankful that millions of us will be receiving our injections in the coming period.
We should be grateful to live in a city that still has a great sense of community. People take part in community clean-ups, fundraisers for charities and houses of worship, and efforts to help our veterans.
We should be thankful that Bayonne is making great progress. New homes, apartment houses, and businesses have been built. We expect still more residential and commercial construction will be taking place in 2021. Our hometown has turned the corner into a bright future.
At this time of year, we must continue to help our fellow residents who are in need, even as we are grateful for what we have ourselves. Making a difference for people who need help is something that we can do every day. I would like to urge everyone to continue to support our local food pantries and soup kitchens throughout the year.
I would like to thank all of the civic organizations, businesses, Scout troops, religious organizations, and others that hold food drives each year to assist the Windmill Alliance, the Bayonne Economic Opportunity Foundation (BEOF), and the food pantries and soup kitchens in Bayonne.
It is time for us to give thanks for the blessings that we enjoy while remembering people in need. On behalf of the City of Bayonne, I would like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Let’s hope and pray for better times ahead in 2021.
