*Update: The Scary Mommy program has been retired. You can still see the local food pantry or Salvation Army for help!

Hunger sucks. Big time. I challenge you, if you don’t know what hunger feels like. Skip dinner and snacking, and see how cranky you get in one day. Some kids only get breakfast and lunch at school, through the free lunch program, and have no food at home. I can’t imagine how these kids concentrate on their school work with their little tummies growling at them. I know if I miss a meal hangry isn’t even the right word, I turn into a bear on a chocolate-seeking rampage.

Do the turkey dance!

Scary Mommy has been a favorite site of mine for quite a while. Humorous, irreverent, and non-judgmental, the Scary Mommy posts are always a delight.

Moms helping moms feed their kids turkey.
APPLICATIONS CLOSE NOVEMBER 1!!

Way back in the mists of time in 2011, Jill Smokler wrote a post about Thanksgiving called A Thanksgiving For Everyone. The response to this article about hunger during the holidays was overwhelming, with Mommies speaking up, wishing they could help. (Saint) Jill started matching up families in need with people who could help, and this has evolved into a registered 501(c)3 charity called Scary Mommy Nation.

In 2013 this effort exploded, with interviews with Parents, ABC, Queen Latifah, and more. 2,765 families received assistance.

It is the testimonials from mommies who need help that really get to me. Have a hankie ready and read some of the stories here. These are moms and dads just like you and me, having a hard time and needing a little help.
Or read my story from last year: Our Family Thanksgiving in Poverty – A Glimpse at the Other Side of the Holidays

Or some more, take a gander at these posts on Scary Mommy, good reads:
Those People (also seen in Family Circle)
I Used to Volunteer at the Food Pantry, Now We Eat There
This Isn’t How It Was Supposed To Be

As I write this post on 10/22/14, 558 families have been helped, and 500 are waitlisted. The application form is closed until the currently waiting families are matched with donors. The moment the application form is reopened the applications will come pouring in.

Ways to Help

• If you need help check the application form here (closes 11/1)
• RUN, don’t walk, to the nearest donation button. You can give as much or as little as you can afford.
• Have a business in need of someone to give oodles of money to? Make a donation of $500 or more and get recognition from Scary Mommy’s HUGE fanbase.
• Buy this guaranteed-to-make-you-laugh-until-you-cry book Scary Mommy’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays for $2.99 and a portion of sales will benefit Scary Mommy Thanksgiving Project
• Don’t have money to donate but want to help? Help Team Scary Mommy spread the word! Rack up that karma – FB Share, Lovin, Pin, Plus, Reddit, Retweet, Stumble, Tumble and otherwise social media blitz! Better yet, write a quick post on your blog. Or just share this one!

If you share/post/blitz let me know and I will Like, Heart, Retweet, or otherwise push them like that crack-like candy people smuggle around during the holidays.

Get Twurkin – Do the Turkey Dance!

We did the turkey dance! Take a turkey dance selfie or video and post to help spread the word and fight hunger! Use #turkeydanceforhunger and/or #scarymommythanksgiving. (I stole the term twurkin from Helen at Bubblegumchic.)

If you are a Scary Mommy Thanksgiving Project recipient and you’re not sure what the best way to spend your money is, I’ve got you covered. I figured it all out. I assumed you were broke and compared buying the classic foods to making them from scratch, dug up some frugal Thanksgiving recipes, and made you a shopping list.

Thrifty Thanksgiving for Tough Times – Frugal $50 Thanksgiving Meal

We hope you enjoyed our Scary Mommy Thanksgiving 2014 post

Scary Mommy Thanksgiving Project graphics from Scary Mommy