This Is What the Greatest Generation Did When They Learned About Starving People in Europe

This Thanksgiving season take a moment and let your mind wander back to the autumn of 1947. That's when the Greatest Generation again rose to meet a challenge and help those in need. They started the tradition of setting aside a plate at the Thanksgiving table for a "silent guest," one of the world's hungry. World War II may have been over for two years, but the aftermath left Europe suffering from food shortages. Drought had become a new enemy in that summer of 47, lowering crop production. President Harry Truman was so alarmed about food shortages in Europe that he addressed the nation multiple times. So too did Secretary of State George Marshall. You knew the Greatest Generation was going to do more than just listen. They took action! Governors from all states endorsed the "silent guest" Thanksgiving. Families would set aside a place at their holiday meals for this "silent guest." They mailed in donations to pay for feeding their "silent guest." These funds bought CARE packages of food for hungry families in Europe.


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