photo courtesy :wral

John Edwards visited a food bank near his home in North Carolina yesterday, as part of the unveiling of his new 6 point plan to combat widespread hunger. Also as part of this campaign, he laid out an effort encouraging  his supporters to take action over the holiday season and do the following:

From his Website: Volunteer at least one hour at a soup kitchen, donate at least one can to a food bank, give one lead-free children’s toy to a toy drive, and call on one friend or family member to do the same.

              John Edwards on his Plan:

 ”This week, as families across the country come together to give thanks, we are reminded of the sad fact that millions of American families still go hungry. Food insecurity is one more sign that the economy is not working for regular families. While the costs of health care and energy keep increasing, the average family is earning less than they did in 2000 and the cost of food is rising faster than it has at any time in nearly 20 years. More than 35 million Americans went hungry last year, including almost 13 million children.

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Governor Romney is spending Thanksgiving with his family in Belmont, Massachusetts today. He’s with three of his sons and their wives. His son Matt and daughter-in-law, Laurie had a boy yesterday, the 11th grandson for the Romneys.

The Romneys start the day preparing the turkey, but the former Governor of Massachusetts says his wife, Ann is the cook and he is the “sous-chef.”

Romney told us more about his Thanksgiving traditions but did admit, “This year will be an unusual Thanksgiving.”

Click below to hear more about the Romney family Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

…means a day off from visits by presidential candidates — and nobody recognizes that more than the candidates themselves. Watch Hillary Clinton telling voters in Creston, IA to give thanks for a break from all the political hot air.

Hiawatha, IA

Governor Romney visited the Hawkeye Community Action food pantry today. He packed boxes of food that will be given to needy families tomorrow on Thanksgiving. He sang Christmas carols with the staff and was definitely in the holiday spirit.

On the way to the pantry he stopped at Hy-Vee supermarket to load up and deliver goods to the pantry. He bought peanut butter, maple syrup, canned foods, and a good amount of cereal placing them in orderly rows in his cart. He was having fun dashing around the store, but the Iowa frontrunner focused on Froot Loops and Cap’n Crunch, even saying, “where’s the Captain when you need him?” Before answering to himself, “here he is!”

When asked how he felt about Senator Clinton coming to the pantry yesterday and dropping food off that he might be packing up. The former Massachusetts Governor said that helping people is an issue that both Democrats and Republicans come together on.

On a personal note, Romney revealed that his son Matt and daughter-in-law Laurie are set to give birth this afternoon. They are expecting a boy, Romney’s 11th grandchild.

The packed day of activities from the grocery shopping to his expanding family were colorful examples of Romney’s clean image and family values agenda that he talks about each day on the campaign trail.

Governor Romney is celebrating Thanksgiving with his family in Belmont, MA and will be back on the campaign trail this weekend.

On Tuesday, Lynn Sweet, a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, caught Senator Obama telling a supporter following a policy speech that his most famous fan, Oprah Winfrey, would hitting the campaign trail.

Sweet’s video can be seen here:

The Oprah buzz quickly spread – I mean it’s Oprah. There is no bigger name in U.S. celebrity and her presence could affect Obama’s numbers (for better – or worse according to some polls).

And so when Senator Obama stopped by a Manchester, NH, food pantry to help box some Thanksgiving food up for local families before he headed home for the holiday, it came up as a long line of reporters stood across from the senator as he stood putting canned food and jugs of apple juice into cardboard boxes.

Here’s the exchange:

John Edwards will be airing a new ad over the Thanksgiving weekend in three early primary states, Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. It focuses on what he is most thankful.

Edwards Campaign Statement on Ad:

Today, as American families begin to gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving, the John Edwards for President campaign announced a new television spot, entitled “Thanksgiving,” which will go up on the air Wednesday in three early primary states.

In the 30-second spot, which will run in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Edwards tells voters what he is most thankful for – a loving family and the promise of America, “a nation filled with the most optimistic people on Earth.” Edwards also delivers a personal message of thanks to the thousands of people he and Elizabeth have met on the campaign trail this year who have welcomed the Edwardses into their “homes and hearts.”

Watch Ad Here: