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Kooper Keeland, 2, watches as his great-grandmother, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

She had it figured down to the last dollar. The looming insurance payment, balanced against the hard-earned paycheck. The cost of keeping her children fed, covered mostly with government SNAP assistance. And when Shelby Williams reviewed the family budget for November, she told herself that this month would truly be one for giving thanks.

After living with her parents for more than two years, Williams and her two children were finally moving into an apa

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