It's hard to imagine that people out there are going hungry, especially during the gorgefest that is Thanksgiving. But Harvesters, the community food network, estimates that 141,000 people in the Kansas City area are "food insecure," which is a nice way of saying that they don't know when or where they'll eat next.The Harvesters food bank manages to provide an average of 1,230,769 meals a month, but that breaks down to fewer than nine meals a month each for those 141,000 Kansas Citians. Needless to say, Harvesters needs help. But even though they want your help, they understand that you have needs, too. So, in lieu of tickets (normally priced at $6) to the Rockhurst University Thanksgiving Classic basketball tournament, the school will accept donations of nonperishable food items or cash at the door, with proceeds benefiting Harvesters.
The round-robin tournament pits the men's basketball teams from Rockhurst University, Northwest Missouri State University, Southwest Baptist University and Park University against each other in four games starting at 3 p.m. Friday and continuing through Saturday. The Rockhurst women's team plays Minnesota State University-Mankato at 5 p.m. Friday. All games are played in the Mason-Halpin Fieldhouse at 5209 Tracy Avenue. For more game times and details, call 816-501-4141.-- Michael Vennard
Guilt Trip
Face a turkey.
ONGOING
This Thanksgiving, carnivorous Americans will cook and eat 45 million turkeys. If this includes you, we suggest that you kill two birds -- wait, let us rephrase -- accomplish two things at once with a trip to the Baker University wetlands.The 573-acre natural area offers walking trails, so you can work off some of the bloat from the orgy of flesh-gobbling. Also, the wetlands are home to 200-plus species of birds. A Web site (http:// douglasnewcomers.lawrence.com/parks.html) about Lawrence boasts that the wetlands, at 31st Street and Haskell Avenue, offers a self-guided tour and "frequent encounters with wildlife." You'd just better hope that doesn't include a flock of pissed-off wild turkeys with a score to settle.-- Allie Johnson
