Thanksgiving is coming up tomorrow. We know a lot of food gets eaten. But exactly how much food gets thrown away on Thanksgiving?

$277 Million

According to Marketwatch, Americans throw away about $165 billion in food every year. $277 million of that food happens on a single day, Thanksgiving.

Turkey sales have dipped in recent years. Despite that there will still be about 200 million pounds of turkey thrown away on Thanksgiving.

“At a time when one in eight Americans go hungry, taking steps to reduce food waste is even more critical,” said a spokeswoman for the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in a news release. NRDC is a non-profit organization in New York.

How can you cut down on waste? Freezing leftovers is one option. Another is using turkey bones to make stock. Donating the food is very difficult. Many food pantries are unable to accept food donations and prefer donations of money.

It's a difficult thing to deal with and keep from happening. Unfortunately, wasting food is just something that happens on Thanksgiving and will continue to happen. One way to make up for the amount of food wasted is to make a donation of money to a local food pantry.

Happy Thanksgiving and we hope you get the chance to enjoy time with your friends and family.