Thanksgiving is a holiday for all Americans, those of every faith, every nationality, whether or not your ancestors go back to the Mayflower, even if you or your parents were born in another country. We can all celebrate Thanksgiving; we can all give thanks for all that we have.

And so many of us here in Great Neck really do have quite a lot to be thankful for---family, friends, a lovely home, a beautiful neighborhood, outstanding schools, parks, library, arts center, and a wealth of services. We are fortunate indeed!

While we may sincerely appreciate the bounties we receive, too many of us do not think about how we can show our appreciation, what we can do to give back when we receive so much. When it comes to giving back to our community, unfortunately we have a surprisingly small pool of volunteers---we see the same people, over and over again, volunteering for job after job.

How lovely it would be to see a fresh group of faces at a school board or PTA meeting. How wonderful it could be to see some really new, totally independent, ''unconnected'' faces sign up to run for some local elections. For sure, if we could entice some new, young residents to become involved, we would be doing ourselves a real favor.

There are lots of volunteer positions around this peninsula, from village boards and committees; to school, library, and park boards; to volunteers always needed at our arts center and at our Great Neck United Community Fund and its member agencies. There is plenty of interesting, challenging, important work to go around.

So, this year, while you enjoy your turkey dinner and your day off spent with family and friends, give some thought to the true meaning of ''Thanksgiving,'' and seriously think about giving back to your community in some way. We would all be thankful for your help!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wendy K. Kreitzman