Making Thanksgiving happen: Filling the table despite high prices and tough times

Food insecurity has been an issue for many Americans since the covid pandemic and the inflation that followed. In 2025, it has escalated amid concerns about tariffs, program cuts, layoffs and the federal government shutdown. For those who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, uncertainty has deepened as a pause on benefits has bounced between threats, promises, lawsuits and court rulings.

Many of those families are turning to food banks for help.

“Our need is definitely significant. There’s a drastic increase in the number of people coming to us,” said Beth Burrell, communications director for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

The Westmoreland County Food Bank is seeing the same trend. CEO Jennifer Miller said donations have dipped slightly as more people feel the pinch.

Even as the federal government moves toward getting back to work, food assistance won’t start flowing quickly.

“Even if the pause lifts, the damage won’t change overnight,” Burrell said.

Thanksgiving dinner is a holiday where food plays the starring role. But how do you make that happen if you’re having trouble putting food on the table?

With secret ingredients that can’t be bought in a store: creativity and help.

Families are turning to food banks, discount stores and community programs to make sure there’s still a feast on the table. With a few smart substitutions and a little planning, a holiday meal can come together for less than the price of a takeout order.

Pennsylvania’s food banks are already seeing heavier demand in November. Many distribute staples such as canned vegetables, stuffing mix and frozen turkeys, while discount chains including Aldi, Walmart and Dollar Tree are helping shoppers stretch their dollars with low-cost ingredients.

That might not include everything on last year’s table, but it doesn’t mean you can’t make something special.

Stuffing mix can be combined with extra bread, vegetables or fruit to make it more than the sum of its parts. If you don’t have a turkey, add other proteins to make it the star of the show — bake in a casserole, top with affordable chicken leg quarters or layer with sliced meat and gravy.

Speaking of casseroles, take those green beans and make the traditional favorite by mixing with canned soup or a quick homemade cream sauce. Don’t have French-fried onions? Corn muffin mix costs less than a dollar. Crumble some over your veggies for a crunchy streusel topping.

Sweet potatoes can be as simple as roasting and splitting open like a baked potato to top with butter and cinnamon sugar. Or slice them and layer with homemade caramel, with a sprinkle of granola or cookies for texture.

Mashed potatoes are easy to make but also easy to dress up. Twice-baked potatoes add a little flair while building in portion control.

Don’t forget the fruit. Cranberry apples can fill that sweet-tart space on the plate — or double as dessert by layering with corn muffins into a shortcake topped with whipped cream.

And when it comes to dessert, there’s always pumpkin. Cake can do the job without the cost of all those eggs, milk and crust you need for pie. A box of cake mix and a can of pumpkin are all you need. If you have a little extra, spread on some frosting and drizzle caramel on top.

There’s no good time for food insecurity, but to face it at Thanksgiving is an additional blow. That doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to celebrate — with food banks, smart shopping and a little innovation.

Baked stuffing casserole

2 boxes stuffing mix

2 cups water (or broth, apple juice, cider)

1 can of cream of chicken soup (or another cup of liquid)

1/4 cup butter, margarine or oil

Optional: sauteed diced onions, celery, carrots, pears or apples; raisins, dried or fresh cranberries

Protein: chicken leg quarters, drumsticks or thighs; sliced deli turkey; rotisserie chicken; canned chicken; ground turkey; ground sausage

Salt, pepper and seasoning to taste

Gravy (packaged, jarred, canned or homemade)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare stuffing by bringing liquid, soup and oil to a simmer and adding stuffing mix and any optional ingredients. Spread in a greased casserole dish.

To make this a main dish, arrange a protein option on top of the stuffing, seasoning to taste. Pour gravy over protein. Bake 30 minutes for fully cooked protein options. For raw proteins, bake 40 minutes or until meat is cooked through, a minimum of 165 degrees internal temperature.

Salted caramel sweet potatoes

3 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional: granola, cookie crumbs, crumbled graham crackers, nuts, pretzels, etc.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke holes in potatoes with a fork or sharp knife. Bake for an hour or until cooked through. Remove and cool.

Peel potatoes and slice in disks. Layer in a greased baking dish.

In a saucepan, cook brown sugar with butter and milk until it boils. Cook a minute until thickened, stirring constantly. Add the salt and pour over sweet potatoes. If desired, sprinkle with an optional crunchy topping. Bake 20 minutes.

Cranberry apples

Homemade version

1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup water

2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

2 tablespoons butter, margarine or oil

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Canned version

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 can apple pie filling

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For homemade: In a saucepan, bring cranberries, sugar and water to a simmer for 20 minutes. In a skillet over medium heat, saute apples in butter, margarine or oil. Combine cranberries and apples. Add cinnamon. Remove from heat. Cool.

For canned: In a saucepan, combine cranberry sauce, pie filling and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Cool.

Pumpkin cake

1 cake mix (yellow, white, spice or carrot)

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

Optional: 3 eggs, 1 cup liquid (water, milk, ginger ale), 1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Topping: frosting (canned or homemade), whipped topping, caramel sauce (jarred or use the sauce from the Salted Caramel Sweet Potatoes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cake pan (whatever size or shape you have).

In a bowl, combine cake mix and pumpkin puree. If you want a richer cake and you have the optional ingredients, add them, but if all you have is cake mix and pumpkin, it will work. Pour into the cake pan. Bake until cooked through. We made ours in a tube pan, and it took about 40 minutes. Remove and cool completely.

This cake is fine by itself, but can be served with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, a light glaze of sugar and milk, spread with buttercream or whipped topping, or drizzled with caramel. Dress it up or down accordingly.