I hate to say it, but summer is officially behind us, and the last whisper of fall exhaled with Tuesday’s snow. But with that, we have entered the spice-filled glow of the holiday season. The season of giving.

Here at the Shawangunk Journal, as you’ve come to find if you are a regular reader, we do journalism differently. We don’t just publish the news, we change lives, and I’ll tell you what I mean.

I don’t mean that we are the first to report on many local topics, though we are. Or that our coverage is thorough with meaningful context, even though it is. I don’t mean that we care immensely for the people we serve, though of course we do. And I’m not talking about how accessible we are, that we work incredibly hard, that we listen, that we are a source people turn to — though all of that is true.

No, instead I’m talking about the impact we make. In the past we have covered local folks who need help, either from disease, house fire or other hardship, and help has come from our readers. We’ve investigated derelict buildings and absentee landlords resulting in progress made and people re-homed. With the fire on the mountain, we went into overdrive coordinating the supplies needed and becoming a disaster relief response team. Our coverage has led to more transparency in local government, and with the debate we hosted in Ellenville, has helped residents decide who to vote for in the most recent election.

As a small but powerful team, we are transforming what local news can be. I can’t walk down the street without someone stopping me to let me know how much they appreciate our paper. How it’s “the only way we know what’s going on in the community.”

But we, like many others, are sensitive to changes in the economy.

When COVID hit, we expanded our workloads, doubled our audience and answered innumerable messages from local folks. We created free pandemic content, different subscription options, and partnered with local organizations to ensure that the most impacted had a source they could turn to and trust for the latest information and resources to help them navigate the crisis. We shined a light on the helpers, and those we lost.

Like the main article this week, we tell stories that aren’t being told anywhere else.

But as a small team pulled in many directions, we face many challenges, like the collapse of whole segments of advertising, and losing staff to permanent layoffs. But instead of cutting back on the editorial side, we zipped up our britches and we all stepped up to produce even more.

“Giving Tuesday” is coming up after Thanksgiving, and we’ll be rolling out our fundraiser. We appreciate your support! Philanthropic funds are necessary, not only to keep producing the news you’ve come to rely on, but to forge new paths, to host more events — like the Ulster County Executive Debate, which was a big success.

For the past six years, I’ve ended my Thanksgiving column with a personal blessing of sorts. This year, it reads a little differently.

As we slide into this holiday on the gravy train, we may roll our eyes at relatives who are obviously bonkers, and we may pretend to be enthralled by Aunt Gladys’ macaroni necklace. We may even debate — or refuse to — the maelstrom of topics that swirl in the vortex of the world at large, but we’ll know, through it all, that this moment in time, is set aside for thankfulness, and, okay, yes, drunken gluttony.

Remember that we are truly thankful for you, our readers, and we hope you are thankful for us as well. This Thanksgiving, as you are catching up around the dinner table, remember that we are all part of a shared community.

It is our connections that strengthen us.

We’ll continue to do our part, and we’re hopeful that with the support of the community, we’ll be even more impactful as we grow. Thank you — and please pass the stuffing!

— Amberly Jane Campbell