Tagged: thanksgiving

Gray Thursday may become the new Black Friday. Many big retailers have moved up the beginning of their shopping season, traditionally the Friday after Thanksgiving, to Thursday evening.

Brick-and-mortar retailers are feeling pressure from online retailers, which have given consumers an earlier shopping option.

"In the past, online retailers have had Thanksgiving Day all to themselves," says Marshal Cohen, retail analyst with the NPD Group. "And what that means is by the time Black Friday comes around, a lot of consumers have already spent a bunch of money."

The H-E-B Feast of Sharing returned to the The Palmer Events Center last night.

Nearly 14,000 meals were cooked and served last night for the annual free Thanksgiving meal. Throughout the evening, the number of people attending the feast was steady and flowing.

H-E-B's Tamra Jones said that "without the amazing help of the community and all the volunteers, this event wouldn't be the same. You feel the community coming together to make this happen."

When John Aielli says jump, we at KUT say "how high?" So after tasting a homemade sweet potato pie that had been brought in to share with KUT staff – and loving it – he asked for the recipe to share with his listeners.

So here you go Austin: the sweet potato pie made by the late Bettie Winn Reeves Harris of Saint Jo, Texas.

Update at 2:32 p.m. ET:

Speaking from the White House Rose Garden, President Obama clearly related his own redemption this month to the turkeys he pardoned.

"They say that life is all about second chances, and this November I could not agree more," he said at the pardon ceremony. "The American people have spoken, and these birds are moving forward."

No holiday is more closely associated with food than Thanksgiving. But many Central Texans will be thankful just to get enough to eat this holiday season.

Several free holiday meals are being offered this Thanksgiving holiday. 

Three-hundred students gathered at the Capital Area of Food Bank today to drop off cans of food and warm coats as part of A Day of Service.  They spent the morning unloading nonperishable food items out of portable storage sheds that had been installed on their campuses last month.

The event was organized by A Legacy of Giving, a philanthropy organization on 33 campuses in Austin.

“I think it’s important that they see that it doesn’t matter what your socio economic is, what your faith based is, that kids as kids can make a huge difference when they gather together with a common goal," said the organization's executive director Linda Brucker.

The Palmer Events Center will host a massive cooking effort today. H-E-B employees and volunteers expect to serve over 13,000 people there for the 21st annual Feast of Sharing.

Each plate is free of charge and includes traditional Thanksgiving dishes, including cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and turkey.

While on site at the event, coordinators said volunteers were still welcome. Just show up and be ready to serve a lot of food.

Here's the event, by the numbers: