Lest you all think there is little more to Jenny Elig than shopping, Icanhascheezburger.com and celebrity gossip, I have a request for the five people that will read this (OK, 10. Thanks, Mom and Dad). But a little back story is in order.

Last year, my Thanksgiving was pretty crummy. My parents live far away, and I am a terrible cook. I decided to stuff myself to the point of paralysis and, at 3 three in the morning on Friday, my best friend -- my cat Oskar -- got sick. He died the next day.

Yeah, last year's Thanksgiving didn't give me a lot to be thankful for. But even I know that the problems I faced, while not trivial, were not insurmountable. I like to think that the holiday season is a time to look past my worries and see that other people need some help, too. Trite, perhaps, but true.

In the past, my best Thanksgivings have been cloistered days spent with friends, eating good veggie food (you can't beat a succulent Tofurkey) and watching horror flicks ("The Shining" is an awesome accompaniment to candied yams).

Those Thanksgivings were days I gave to myself, days of rest and relaxation away from the daily tedium of life. I do not begrudge myself those selfish days, nor should anyone else.

But when I started thinking about what I could do for Thanksgiving this year, I decided I didn't want to mope and mourn and eat lots of food. I've had plenty of invites to go and visit with my friends' families, and those invitations were very, very welcome, but that's not my family, and it's hard to be the fifth, seventh, or ninth wheel on Thanksgiving.

This year, I'm going to do something I haven't done on a holiday before, and I've decided my holiday is going to be a little more productive this time around. I'm going to volunteer.

I used to give my time far more freely, working for various non-profits around wherever I happened to live. I've worked with animals, I've worked with people; I've even stuffed envelopes in rooms by myself.

Perhaps this is too obvious for words, but working for a bigger cause, a grander scheme, makes you feel good. I'm so devoted to the idea that I'm putting it in writing for all of you (five or 10 people) to read. On top of that, I need ideas.

I know some volunteer spots are so crowded on Thanksgiving Day, that volunteers are more like helpful sardines.

Help me find something that's at times overlooked. I can go and sit with animals at the Humane Society; I can serve mashed potatoes to folks who may not have anywhere else to eat mashed potatoes, and I can certainly wash dishes. I've opened this thread to find out what I -- and anyone else who's in a similar situation -- should do. Post some suggestions here -- I'd love to hear them.