In such a tumultuous year, where to start on being thankful?

It begins, of course, with the basics of life: food, health and home. More than most other years, all three have been jeopardized for too many people this year, due to job losses from abrupt federal cuts and freezes, compounded by rising costs that have made everything from meals to health care a dicey proposition.

Despite it all, many blessings have sprung forth from Hawaii’s giving heart. Long lines at free food giveaways have been met with an equal amount of outpouring of donations and volunteers lending a helping hand.

An already precarious unemployment situation caused by the Department of Government Efficiency was exacerbated on Oct. 1, when a congressional standoff shut down the federal government for a record 43 days.

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