Happy Thanksgiving from the Imgur Team!

This year, we're most thankful for you.

Over the years, Imgurians have grown from a small group of image sharers into a huge, vibrant Internet force of 150 million strong. Every day people come to Imgur to lift their spirits, be inspired, discover brand new things, and connect with the world through images. Imgur has been the starting point for marriages, miraculous acts of random kindness, charity, and, of course, plenty of laughs.

This year has been a big one for Imgur. We released an app; released new trophies; won two Webby awards; grew our team to sixty people; experienced the rise of Javert, Kocoum & Travolta; and even celebrated Imgur culture at Camp Imgur, the biggest meetup of Imgurians to date. The true lifeblood that makes all of this so awesome is not 1s and 0s, memes, or even cats--it’s you, the amazing Imgur community. And, for that, we are eternally thankful.

As a token of appreciation, I’ve put together a few of my favorite posts that represent the best of the Imgur community to reflect on this Thanksgiving.

Truly, thank you for everything you’ve contributed to Imgur, and we can’t wait to see what we do together next.

Happy Thanksgiving! Don’t forget to eat until you can’t feel your face.

Love,
@sarah
Director of Community, Imgur

Credit to PigsWeGetWhatPigsDeserve for the GIF

1. Imgurians Find a Home for Chester

Back in April, Imgurian 0352 posted about Chester, a pitbull mix who had spent five years in a New York shelter waiting for his forever home. The message was simple, “Come on Imgur, let’s find Chester a home.” The response was tremendous. Just one day later, OP announced that Chester had been adopted!

Original post: http://imgur.com/gallery/5hWCa

2. Cleanliness is Next to Happiness

poisonedbymercury has always struggled with depression, and that bad feeling was reflected by the trash in their room. Eventually they worked up the courage to start cleaning for the first time in years. With each new post, the Imgur community congratulated OP in wave after wave of positives comments. The encouragement was so strong that poisonedbymercury cleaned the entire room and had this happy statement to share, “Thank you to everyone who cheered me on and sent kind messages. So many people told me i inspired them, when really you guys inspired me. I was tempted after the first day to just give up, but this blew up and I knew I couldn't stop then. When your room or your home is as messy as mine was, it really can seem like it's going to just take over and eat you up, but you are SO much stronger than that. If you are actively trying to change your life in the smallest ways, you've already beat your depression. It is never as strong as we think it is.”

Original post: http://imgur.com/gallery/mgqFV

3. A Christmas Miracle

Last Christmas, one mom confessed that she couldn’t afford to buy presents for her daughter. Imgurians from all over the world rallied to send her 75 thoughtful gifts. Best Christmas ever!

Original post: http://imgur.com/gallery/PVIdG

4. Hoodie Dog

We all know the comments can often be the best part of the post. In this hilarious thread, Imgurians came together to write Eminem’s next hit single. Your creativity never ceases to amaze me.

Original post: http://imgur.com/gallery/GQZWg

5. Imgur Gets Drawn

kuikuilija wanted to practice her drawing skills, so she put out a call for Imgurian selfies. Everyone who sent one got turned into a beautiful cartoon.

Original post: http://imgur.com/gallery/SSAre

6. Imgur Ninja Warrior

GreenSuspenderGuy once ranked himself as such: “On a scale from one to awkward, I'm like the disabled lovechild of Michael Scott and Michael Cera,” but with the help of the Imgur community he evolved into a true ninja in every sense of the word. Though he hasn’t completely the course on the show yet, he’s still training and hoping for next year. “I wear Imgur colors because when I first started training, I didn't really think I could be on the show. But this community was, and is, a force of positivity in my life, and y'all helped me start to believe,” he wrote. How awesome is that?!

Original post: http://imgur.com/gallery/FNOPd

7. Camp Imgur

Camp Imgur brought together 500 amazing Imgurians for one full weekend of jokes, fun, informative speakers and new friendships. It was diverse, authentic, hilarious, magical and a complete blast! People came from all over the world to meet their fellow Imgurians IRL. Since that wonderful weekend, the camp flag has been on a world tour, uniting Imgurians along the way.

Original post: http://imgur.com/gallery/FAk1dvj

8. Cards for Jared

This is Jared. He was diagnosed with autism at a very young age, and he’s had a hard time coping this year after the loss of his father. His amazing cousin, TheCraziestCatLadyXX, shared Jared’s story with Imgurians and asked them to send him cards to brighten his days. The outpouring of support for Jared and his family was mind-boggling. Imgurians sent thousands of cards, gifts and well wishes. The attention from Jared’s post on Imgur even earned him a trip to Disneyland to meet his favorite character, Mickey Mouse.

Original post: http://imgur.com/gallery/Q19lE

9. Upvotes for Charity

Sometimes our meaningless Internet points aren’t so meaningless after all. SmellyButtFarts vowed to donate to charity for each upvote and comment he received on his post, and OP actually delivered! The grand total was $7,643 for Doctors Without Borders.

Original post: http://imgur.com/gallery/kckIc

10. Photoshop Help

After a loss in the family, CanIJustNotPickAName was strapped for cash. She posted to Imgur offering her Photoshop services. She then received over 300 messages with work requests. “Thank you, all,” she said. “Those of you who have been kind, and those who have been unkind, I thank you all for taking the time to read this.”

Original post: http://imgur.com/gallery/iwDC0

11. The Story of the Boy

This dad posted his son’s Lego creation on Imgur and promised that, for every upvote, he’d give his son ten cents to buy more Lego. The Imgur community not only upvoted, but sent their own Lego, offered advice on where to buy, and made the boy’s creation viral. Eventually, a Lego retailer purchased the rights to the creation for $500, half of which he then donated to charity.

Original post: http://imgur.com/gallery/iSUXu

12. Random Acts of Kindness

It's important to remember that there are nice people all around us. One kind stranger sent a puppy care package to an Imgurian facing hard times. The special delivery made for one very happy pup. As one commenter wrote, "Glad to see that Imgurians are out there making the world a better place for fellow Imgurians or just common people."

Original post: http://imgur.com/gallery/FPyP5