Great food and good cheer are a part of the American Thanksgiving tradition. There's so much to be thankful for as we gather with friends and family. And even though there's a lot of turmoil and division, the world is full of folks who might not generate a lot of news but are nevertheless making a big impact on people's lives. With them in mind, we raise a glass in praise of good works and offer our Thanksgiving toasts ...

To the alert elementary school officials in Rancho Tehama, Calif., who practiced their active-shooter drills and followed them by the book when gunman Kevin Janson Neal came knocking. The lockdown they ordered kept the shooter at bay and the school's 100 students safe from harm, averting what would certainly have been a far worse massacre than the five killed and eight injured in Neal's Nov. 14 rampage.

To cyclists from around the region who, for the past 12 years, have gathered for a marathon-like fun ride known as Cranksgiving, visiting a long succession of grocery stores where they collect canned goods to donate to Food Outreach Inc. Cranksgiving is Food Outreach's biggest food drive of the year and benefits those with HIV/AIDS or cancer. This year's ride attracted nearly 1,000 riders, who collected 10,000 to 12,000 canned food items.

To Patricia McKissack, an award-winning and prolific author of children's books about African-American history and folklore. McKissack, of Chesterfield, died April 7 at age 72, having published more than 100 books employing African-American characters and introducing children of all backgrounds to a world of diverse cultures.

To Lezley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown, who used the police-involved shooting death of her son in 2014 to campaign for civil rights. This year, she found another way to honor her son: by returning to high school to get the degree from the Jennings School District that she never received after dropping out as a teen mother.

To all the gentlemen of America who have managed to get through their adult lives without groping, belittling, harassing or otherwise disrespecting women, and who have served as examples for both their sons and daughters of the conduct all of us should seek to emulate, regardless of race, religion, class or political affiliation.

To Troy Rooks, a social worker at the St. Louis Veterans Home, who refuses to allow veterans to be mistreated. The home's administrator, Rolando Carter, suspended Rooks when the social worker took a stand for veterans, even when it posed an embarrassment for the home. These men defended our nation at great personal risk, and safeguarding them in their last years is the least that can be done to repay their service.

To tech investors who are discovering the Midwest as they look to leave behind what top venture capitalist Mark Kvamme said is the "kind of crazy" that is now Silicon Valley. Kvamme left California to become a tech investor in Ohio in 2014, looking to tap the Midwest's potential. Investors are lured by the cost and opportunity the Heartland promises, with most of them able to house start-ups in beautiful, renovated red-brick industrial buildings.

To Detroiters, who are writing a new future for the Motor City once on the endangered species list. Detroit's downtown corridor has come alive the past five years with real estate investment, much of it spurred by Quicken Loans' decision to move its headquarters there. Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of the mortgage loan company and a native of Detroit, refused to let his city die and now owns over 60 properties, helping re-energize the community.

To passengers and crew aboard American Airlines Flight 31 from Los Angeles to Honolulu on May 19. A seriously disturbed passenger named Anil Uskanli, 25, thought he was being attacked by a butterfly, which caused him to make a move toward the cockpit. A flight attendant used a drink cart to block him and passengers restrained him until the plane landed.

To the countless first responders and just plain folks who spent days rescuing total strangers after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria devastated coastal areas of the United States and Caribbean. Among them were big names like Houston Texans all-pro defensive end J.J. Watt, who personally raised $37 million for his fellow Houstonians, and celebrity chef Jose Andres, who built a network of volunteers who served 2.2 million meals in Puerto Rico.

To 7-year-old Hailey Dawson of Las Vegas, born without a good right hand, who is on a quest to throw out out the first pitch in every major league ballpark with her 3-D-printed prosthetic hand. She checked the Houston Astros' Minute Maid Park off the list before Game 4 of the World Series. Take that, Bionic Woman!

To researchers at Cambridge University and the Spanish Research Council, who've discovered that certain caterpillars, the larvae of the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella), can devour polyethylene, the main type of plastic that now litters the earth. Of course, wax moths also eat bee hives, which wouldn't be good, and it would take billions of them to make a dent in the world's garbage. But it's a start.

To Arla Harrell of Macon, Mo. In August, the 90-year-old World War II veteran finally got the veterans benefits he'd been denied for health problems related to the Army's wartime testing of mustard gas on troops at Camp Crowder, Mo. And lift a glass to Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who fought the good fight for Harrell for two years.

To Gov. Eric Greitens, whose selfless dedication to world travel has expanded the horizons of young learners in Missouri and helped them understand the importance of geography. Whereas before they might have focused their lessons on Missouri, where most of the state's governors have focused their attention, kids now know they should learn about places like Israel, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Seoul, Des Moines, Austin and Washington, D.C. Knowledge of the governor's far-flung adventures should help prepare students for careers at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

REPRINTED FROM THE ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH