We brave the cold to remember why we are thankful. (Photo — Diane Chase)

I can sift through the sale circulars like I’m holding the winning lotto ticket and my numbers are somehow hidden inside the pages. I’m a frugal shopper, but even shopping the sales, my family has never had to go without. It is difficult to imagine not being able to open the fridge and have numerous choices. My pantry is full of food, and my children have never known a real day of hunger.

Now that the weather is getting cold, neighbors and community members require even more assistance. So those sale circular items don’t have to always line my own shelves but can help fill the food pantry shelves and grocery store drop-off boxes so no one goes hungry in our area.

Another way to remind my family how much there is to be thankful for is to lace up our running shoes and attend an area Turkey Trot. If you are living in or visiting Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake, there is a Turkey Trot for you. There are plenty of other Thanksgiving road races around the Adirondack Park and beyond listed on AdirondackFamilyTime.com, but the big three for the Tri-Lakes area are the Adirondack Health 5K, Bitters & Bones 5K and the Erin Dewyea 5K/10K Turkey Trot. All three events take place Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 22.

This will be the fourth annual Bitters & Bones Saranac Lake Turkey Trot. Once again, the owners of Bitters & Bones are splitting the proceeds between two worthy nonprofits: the Saranac Lake Interfaith Food Pantry and the Saranac Lake Student Needs Fund. The 5K course will start at the Broadway restaurant and continue through town, past Harrietstown Town Hall, along River Street and Lake Flower Avenue to turn around at Casa del Sol and return to Bitters & Bones. Pre-registration is available at AdkTurkeyTrot.com for a fee of $20 per adult, $10 per child (13 and under), $5 per Saranac Lake Central School student, $5 per stroller, $5 per leashed dog. Each registered adult receives an event T-shirt. All registration funds and donations go directly to these worthy causes. Event registration will take place from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Thanksgiving morning. With an anticipated 9:30 a.m. finish time, raffles, silent auctions and prizes will commence at Bitters & Bones, 65 Broadway, between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.

This is the 10th annual Adirondack Health 5K Walk/Run Turkey Trot. The 5K starts at 8:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. Register online at active.com by Nov. 20 at midnight for a $5 discount race fee. Registering online guarantees you a T-shirt. Race packet pickup starts on Nov. 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Olympic Speedskating Oval, or race day registration (Nov. 22) is from 6:30 to 8 a.m. at the Olympic Oval. The race day fee is $30 per person, $100 per group of four and FREE for children (12 and under) — no dogs, but strollers are fine. Children do not need to pre-register. Please bring three nonperishable food items on race day to benefit local food pantries and receive a $5 registration discount. The race starts at the oval, continues around Mirror Lake and circles back to the oval. Prizes are awarded for the top three overall male and female finishers. Bonus: Beat the mystery turkey runner, and you’ve “stuffed the turkey” and win bragging rights around the table. The proceeds from this event benefit the Adirondack Health Fit for Life program as well as local food pantries.

In Tupper Lake, organizers are hosting the fifth annual Erin Farkas Dewyea Turkey Trot Run/Walk. Erin is remembered as a much-loved, civic-minded Tupper Lake teacher, and all event proceeds benefit the Erin Farkas Dewyea Scholarship Fund. The scholarship is awarded to a like-minded high school senior pursuing a degree in education and demonstrating exemplary community service. Both the 5K and 10K have a 9 a.m. start from the Washington Street Park. Online registration (localraces.com) ends at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17. Registration packets will be available at the Tupper Lake Train Depot on Wednesday, Nov. 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 22 from 7 to 8:45 a.m. The fee is $35 for the 5K and $50 for the 10K. Walkers and runners are welcome, and costumes are encouraged. There will be prizes awarded to the first male and female finishers in the following categories: 5K walker, 5K runner and 10K runner, as well as prizes to the best individual costume, creative costume, group costume, children’s costume, team costume and even the “turkey that got away.” You do not need to participate in the run to participate in the numerous raffles and pie sale.

Any of these events will get you back home in plenty of time to stuff the bird and organize that touch football game. By touch football, I mean high-fiving while eating chips in front of the TV. We did just run a 5K, right?

To find a food pantry near you, check out the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York (regionalfoodbank.net).

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Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Time guidebook series. For more family-friendly activities go to AdirondackFamilyTime.­