There's nothing wrong with a lot of churches, community organizations and other entities essentially closing up for Thanksgiving and taking off. After all, that's kind of the holiday's point—to allow people to get away and to make the most of a holiday that fits perfectly with brisk fall weather.

But some will be open on Thanksgiving to feed anyone who is looking for a meal. Here's a list of some of the community gatherings and other charitable events happening in Mt. Airy and nearby this week.

- Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church (13 E. Mt. Pleasant Ave.) will host its annual Thanksgiving Potluck on Wednesday. Dinner is at 6 p.m.; a worship service will follow at 7:30 p.m. Guests are invited to bring canned goods for a community food cupboard. Dinner is free, but an offering will be taken to support "Heating Up Mt. Airy," a capital campaign to update the church heating. If you're interested, RSVP to the church office at 215-247-1303 or at admin@mapresby.org. Further information is available here.

- We normally don't cover specific activities outside of Mt. Airy, but we're making an exception here for the free pre-Thanksgiving meal at Upper Room Missionary Baptist Church (7236 Ogontz Ave.) in West Oak Lane. The dinner, which is on Tuesday from noon to 3 p.m., is open to anyone and offers seniors and low-income families an opportunity to have a holiday meal with their fellow residents. There will also be a presentation from the General Mills “Feeding the Dream” initiative, which promotes health and education advocacy in African-American communities, according to a news release.

- Germantown Christian Assembly (610 E. Mt. Pleasant Ave.) is also hosting a free Thanksgiving meal on Thursday itself at noon. It will be a traditional feast; trimmings will be plentiful as well. If you're interested in going, call the church at 215-242-5550 to RSVP.

- St. Michael's Lutheran Church (6671 Germantown Ave.) is having its regular Saturday community meal this weekend at 11 a.m. This time, though, a Thanksgiving menu is on tap. To see a feature about the regular gathering, which has been going on since June 2010, click here.

- And, finally, you can donate regionally. Philabundance is one local anti-hunger non-profit that allows you to give money that can provide families with Thanksgiving dinners. You can also donate to the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger and its "Virtual Thanksgiving" campaign.