5 good things: A chicken hotel, a dog reunion and hundreds of turkeys

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I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving, dear readers! For me, the holiday doesn’t end until all the pie has been eaten, and I’m still nibbling on apple pie for breakfast. Once I’ve emerged from my post-breakfast sugar coma, though, I head straight to the online shops and get to gifting. It’s tremendously satisfying to pick out a gift for someone based on a passing comment they made earlier in the year — it shows them that you’re listening and that you care. But any act of love, free or otherwise, can land with the same joy as unwrapping a present. You can step in and offer to pet-sit or deliver a meal when you know a friend is in a pinch. Hug them if they’re a hugger. Ask how they’re doing and just listen. Or simply remind someone that they’re wonderful and that you’re grateful to have them in your life, in words as plain.

Here are all the good things that happened this week.

1. A Thanksgiving for the ages — and the masses

Many North Carolinians who were displaced by Hurricane Helene earlier this year are still recovering from the devastating storm. David Burke wanted to cook Thanksgiving dinner for as many of them as he could. Burke, who lives a few hours from the towns impacted by the hurricane, planned to put together about 1,000 Thanksgiving meal kits. When his neighbors caught wind of his idea, 1,000 kits became 5,000 Thanksgiving dinners. Thus began Operation Thanksgiving Blessings, a community effort led by North Carolinians helping fellow residents of their state whose lives were upended by the September storm. Their efforts don’t stop with turkey: Since Saturday, the team has been on the ground in Newland, one of the towns that faced the most severe storm damage, delivering necessities like warm winter clothes, toiletries and goodies for kids. They cooked through the night on Wednesday to make sure they’d have enough dinner for every hungry resident. And dinner looked delish: Hundreds of turkeys and North Carolina classics like Brunswick stew were on the menu.

2. A slobbery reunion for a man and his dog

Here’s a gorgeous reminder that dogs are perfect. Military dog Yyacob was the devoted companion of US Army Staff Sgt. Payton May for nine difficult months overseas in Iraq in 2021. May, a K-9 handler, shared a twin bed with Yyacob and spent every second of his mission with the Belgian Malinois. But when May was reassigned to a base in Texas, and Yyacob was sent to a fort in New York, the interspecies besties were permanently separated. It was hard on them both: May missed his constant companion and Yyacob’s separation anxiety became so acute that he stopped working. That’s when May started petitioning the military to let his favorite dog retire. The good news came last month, and earlier this week, the newly retired Yyacob returned to May’s side. Their long-awaited reunion was just as May had dreamed it — Yyacob recognized his former handler immediately and tackled him with a hug. Yyacob will spend the rest of his days in a bed fit for a king … and big enough for one, too!

3. The nicest (and baldest) place on the internet

Social media is often a hellscape, but there’s a rare place on the internet where people are kind, intentions are pure and heads are hairless: Bald Reddit. The r/bald community is made up of more than 143,000 members in every phase of hair loss, from those still weighing whether to pick up a razor to veterans who’ve been waxing their domes for decades. The interactions on r/bald are shockingly supportive: On the most-liked post in the community’s 13-year history, of one newly bald man’s before-and-after photos, the comments are uniformly delightful: “Bro you look utterly reborn,” one user wrote. There are no stupid questions on r/bald where members receive and dispense tips on moisturizing freshly shaven heads and pairing facial hair with their new hair(less) style. Occasionally, a man with a full head of hair finds his way into the group and is gently reminded by members that no, he is not balding. (It’s a tenet of Bald Reddit to “treat the hair-headed ones with kindness, too.”) If only every internet subgroup treated its members with the compassion of Bald Reddit.

4. A photographer finds the beauty in everyone

Posing for photos isn’t always comfortable but sometimes it takes a stranger’s camera to help you see the beauty in yourself. That’s the aim of Ryan Daniel, a photographer in Portland, Oregon, who approaches folks on the street to snap their photos and hear their stories. The results are casually spellbinding: In just a few clicks, Daniel captures the essence of his subjects and makes them feel important. And they are! Daniel has met dozens of colorful characters, including Daria Eliuk, pictured center in the image above, a playful model with the style of a 40s Hollywood star who was immediately at ease in front of Daniel’s camera. Meeting willing, fascinating subjects energizes Daniel and brings him closer to his Portland neighbors, some of whom he’s connected to in unexpected ways: Daniel grew up listening to Eliuk, a former radio host, before he took her photo.

5. A six-story rooster hotel struts into the spotlight

Nothing much to see here; just the Guinness World Record holder for the largest building shaped like a chicken (which begs the question, are there several towering chicken-shaped buildings?). This 114-foot-tall, six-story chicken structure is also a hotel, so if you appreciate poultry and don’t mind sleeping in a windowless room, consider checking (“chick-ing”?) in. The avian-themed hotel, nicknamed Cano’s Chicken, stands on the island of Negros Occidental in the Philippines and stands as a monument to the “calm yet commanding creatures,” hotelier Ricardo Cano Gwapo Tan told CNN. Though it’s a trek to get to the island, a stay is a steal at $80 a night. The proud rooster shares a lot with massive statues of King Kong and a herd of dinosaurs, but he still stands the tallest. It’s a bizarre building, but Tan did tell CNN that he wanted to leave a “big legacy in this mortal world.”

Heroes among us

We’re nearing the end of the voting period for the 2024 CNN Hero of the Year! This week, let’s revisit the story of Stephen Knight, who’s taking good care of pets whose owners are recovering in rehab. Knight, who’s in recovery himself, has operated the nonprofit Dogs Matter for nearly a decade, taking in more than 1,200 dogs while their owners are in rehab, but he started with a teeny little pup named Jayde. Her owner, who’d recently relapsed, asked Knight to mind Jayde while she reentered recovery. It was an easy yes, and he’s been finding healthy temporary homes for dogs ever since. His work extends to people, too: Dog owners are required to stay in touch with the organization –– they receive regular photos and updates about their pooch while they’re away –– and stick to a 12-month recovery plan, so that when their treatment ends, they know how to keep themselves and their pets healthy.

Voting for the 2024 CNN Hero of the Year ends on Tuesday –– you can vote 10 times a day until then, for Knight or his worthy fellow nominees. Click here to cast your vote!

Impact your world

This Small Business Saturday, use your purchasing power for good and support businesses in Asheville, North Carolina, whose residents are still rebuilding after Hurricane Helene. CNN’s Impact Your World team compiled a list of local brands that could use some love, including acclaimed ceramicists East Fork Pottery and Spicewalla, whose vibrant spices and seasonings are beloved by home chefs. There are plenty of potential gifts on this list!

You gotta see this

These twin panda cubs delighting in their very first snowfall are a good reminder that, when you’re a kid, a snowy day really can feel like magic. Click here to watch the cuteness.

May your days be filled with good things

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