Happy Summersgiving (and Turkey Lovers Month)!

Isn’t it nice when things come together perfectly? We think so. Especially in the summer.

So what could be more perfect than Summersgiving falling within National Turkey Lovers month in June?

…What’s that? …You haven’t heard of either of those? Read on!

Summersgiving is a national day observed on the Saturday after the Summer Solstice. It was started in 2009 by Robert Solomon because he loved Thanksgiving so much and wanted to do something similar to celebrate summer with friends (and also get to eat all the food he thought he could only have in the fall). Thus, Summersgiving was born from a love of summer, great food, and great friends. Then, last year in 2019, the Registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed Summersgiving an official national day to be celebrated every year!

So, what does one serve at a traditional Thanksgiving (and Summersgiving) then…well, usually turkey!

And June also happens to be National Turkey Lovers month. (See how this is all coming together?)

So when you enjoy your turkey for Summersgiving you’re celebrating both. And two celebrations are always better than one.

And, because of rendering, you are celebrating (X2) SUSTAINABLY!

Americans eat millions of turkeys each year at Thanksgiving alone (the original one, in November), but not all the parts of the turkey are actually eaten. Rendering provides a safe, sustainable way to turn butcher scraps and processing leftovers into fresh, safe ingredients for countless new products like nutritious pet food, biofuel, tires and even fireworks!

Who knows, the rendered parts of the turkey you don’t eat on Summersgiving could end up as part of the fireworks you shoot off next month for July 4th!

But even if you forgo the light show this year, the proteins and fats produced by renderers are used in hundreds of items people use every day.

Here at NARA, we love to help educate the public on how important, sustainable, and sometimes, downright cool rendering can be.

So, if you choose to celebrate National Turkey Lovers month, Summersgiving or both, just remember that rendering ensures the meat you DON’T eat gets a whole other life as new, upcycled products.

Cheers to that!

 

To learn more about rendering’s sustainability benefits read our April blog post, in honor of Earth Day.

The North American Renderers Association (NARA) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It does not discriminate in the terms and conditions of employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other factor prohibited by law.

As a participant in USDA programs, we share the commitment to comply with all federal, state and local civil rights laws and those of the USDA. More about this commitment is available on the USDA website page here.