Thumbs up to all of those people who volunteered at a Thanksgiving dinner last week, donated money or food to one such event or took the time during their holiday shopping during the weekend to pick up a toy or gift for someone in need. We thank our readers and all of York County for their generosity and know it will continue throughout this holiday season. If you haven’t taken the time to donate to an organization ”“ whether it be clothes you no longer need, a can of food or even $1 ”“ please do so, to make a neighbor’s holiday a little bit brighter.

Thumbs down to the poor economy and rising cost of food. The monthly roast beef dinners hosted by the Brown-Emmons Post of the American Legion in Alfred have come to an end ”“ after 21 years. These dinners ”“ another victim of a down economy ”“ mean community members can no longer enjoy a reasonably priced, home-cooked roast beef dinner with friends and neighbors each third Saturday of the month in Alfred. It is unfortunate the suppers will no longer take place, but we hope legion members can continue on and possibly create a new type of event for the community, even if it’s not every month.

Thumbs up to the City of Saco for seeking and securing a grant for $15,000 to renovate the playground at Young School on Route 112. Through the national nonprofit organization Kaboom! and beverage companies Dr. Pepper and Snapple, funding has been provided for improvements, and fundraising efforts will be underway soon to raise an additional $15,000. We hope local residents and businesses will support the effort for the needed upgrades to the playground. Because Young School does not have a gymnasium, the playground is used for some needed activity, which helps break up the day for young schoolchildren as well as exercise to keep children healthy and active.

Thumbs down to whomever stole 50 laptop computers from Massabesic High School last week. The computers were stolen from the east campus and are valued at $1,200 each ”“ for a total loss of about $60,000. The computers are a valuable tool for students in the classroom and students throughout the state rely on the programs and software to complete researching, papers and projects. In addition to the hardware, those who saved work just on those computers may have lost that work forever. We hope law enforcement is able to catch the perpetrators, bring them to justice and return the laptops to the school district.

Thumbs up to the staff of Rolnick Chiropractic in Biddeford for hosting its annual Patient Appreciation Day last Monday. The office collected food items and more than $200 of donations to be given to the Bon Appetit soup kitchen. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, staff gave their time and raised food and money for others in need.

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Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you want to respond, feel free to write to the Readers’ Forum via e-mail at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.