Happy Thanksgiving!

As I write this week's blog, I'm packing my bags, baking an apple pie and some brownie bars, and looking forward to spending time at our family's ranch in Hamilton.  Most of you are also going through the motions and preparations for Thanksgiving Day.  Hopefully you've avoided those LONG lines at the grocery store, bought your turkey early and are now dreaming about indulging on pumpkin pie and a lot of couch time. That alone is a lot to be thankful for as we gather around our dinner tables on Thanksgiving Day.  Others in our community might not have that perfect feast we have envisioned in our heads.  Families throughout San Antonio might not have the opportunity to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast at all.

On November 4, some of our Junior League of San Antonio members volunteered at the San Antonio Food Bank to prepare Thanksgiving meal packages for the less fortunate.  The Junior League has partnered with The San Antonio Food Bank for years and if you haven't had a chance to volunteer at this San Antonio non-profit organization you need to put it on your "to do" list.

I recently spoke to Veronica Laurel, Communications Manager of the San Antonio Food Bank, and she provided me with some sobering statistics of hunger in our own community.

*The San Antonio Food Bank is currently providing emergency food assistance to more than 58,000 individuals each week.
*17.9 percent of Texans lived under the poverty level in 2010.
*16.3 percent of the San Antonio Food Banks service area population are food insecure- meaning they don't know where their next meal will come from.
*29.2 percent of children in Bexar Country are food insecure

(that's 1 in 3 children)

*46 percent of households the Food Bank serves have at least one working adult in the family
*36 percent of their clients are children
*14 percent of their clients are seniors
*If you donate just $1, the Food Bank can turn that donation into 7 meals, 10 pounds of food or $13 worth of grocery product.

*Volunteers are always needed to sort food in the warehouse, work in the garden, and help prepare meals in their kitchen.

Veronica encourages us all to organize a food drive at our workplaces, schools, churches, or in our neighborhood.

As you are enjoying this year's turkey feast and fighting over who gets the lucky drumstick, be thankful we have great organizations in our community such as San Antonio Food Bank and the Junior League of San Antonio.  The holidays are upon us and if you are looking for a way to spread your thankfulness this year think about donating time or food to our local food bank.

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!

The TOP TEN Reasons Why YOU need to Attend OLE!

I hope everyone got to watch our very own Ole Chairs, Christina, Brett, and Libby on the SA Living Show this past Monday! They did a great job and made us all want to get our hands on some of those gumball hula hoops!


If you haven't bought your Ole tickets for this year, don't worry: it's not too late!


Visit http://www.holidayolemarket.com/ and buy yours today! You can share the link on Facebook and Twitter with all your friends and family as well and help get the word out!!  This year will mark the Junior League of San Antonio's 18th Annual Holiday Ole Market and it will be a "Shopping Entertainment Experience" you won't want to miss!

Melissa Rosson, Holiday Ole Market Internal Communications Chair, shared her "Top Ten Reasons to Go to Ole" this year! Thanks Melissa, for making Ole irresistible to members, family and friends!

Melissa's Top Ten Reasons to Attend Ole:

10.  It's a great way to get in the holiday spirit with unique gifts that you can't find anywhere else! Can you believe more than 90 merchants will be there? You could finish your whole Christmas shopping list in one day and you really can't beat that!

9.  If you're not there, you are definitely going to regret it when you see all your friends wearing new outfits and jewelry they bought. And, when you hear about all the fun they had at the Girls Night Out event or the Ready, Set, Shop breakfast, you're going to need some cheering up!

8.  Your husband or significant other and even your kiddos can come meet all of your JLSA friends and shop with you, all while supporting the JLSA!  This year we've added stroller shopping hours to make it more convenient for buys moms.

7.  You'll see so many unique decorations at Ole that you'll be filled with ideas and inspiration on decorating your own house for the holidays.

6.  Parties, parties, and more parties! And these tickets go FAST (so buy now!)!

5.  Great silent auction items, live auction items, AND a handbag auction....someone catch me! I'm feeling light headed! :)

4.  Delicious food from local vendors and yummy drinks.

3.  You can honor the heroes in your life with a ticket to the new Happy Hour for Heroes event! We live in a city with many servicemen and women, as well as heroes in our police and fire departments and in our local schools - why not treat the heroes in your life to a special day?

2.  Did I mention great food, shopping, and entertainment yet?

And the NUMBER ONE REASON you should attend the Junior League of San Antonio's Holiday Ole Market is...

1.  You get to contribute to the JLSA's largest fundraiser, which helps fund hours of community service and touch many lives throughout the year and throughout our great community that we call HOME!

Cellar Classic Event At Max's Wine Dive

Have you heard? We are only two weeks away from Cellar Classic at Max's Wine Dive (October 8)!

This tasting event is truly a culinary adventure in your own backyard! Save money you might have spent on airfare to Italy or California and instead grab your girlfriends, buy a set of tickets, and join us in sampling more than 75 wines from all over the world. You deserve a day to kick back and enjoy live music, wine tastings, and culinary delights prepared by Executive Chef James Moore. Chef James' culinary delights will truly span the globe with little tastes of Spain, Italy, France, and North and South America.

Chef James is an enthusiastic partner with the Junior League of San Antonio for Cellar Classic, speaking highly of the league and our community involvement. He is excited to join forces with JLSA to create networking opportunities and awareness, as well as generate proceeds that go toward a great cause.

Chef James credits his mentor, Martin Rios, as well as living in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego as influences on his cuisine creations. Chef James even recommended a great Shiraz for entertaining: a 2005 Penfolds RWT Shiraz that has a "velvety smooth, tremendous fruit, and flawless finish."  For you aspiring oenophiles, you'll receive even more wine tips at the Cellar Classic event, including white and red wine pairings with different foods.

Get your tickets today! Come on out and enjoy the fall weather, wine, food and friends. General admission tickets are available and you can also purchase VIP tickets that include some added perks. Our Ole Committee will also be at the event selling Holiday Ole Market tickets.

Hope to see you there with a smile on your face - Chef James says that's the best compliment a chef can ever receive!