Try literally any other protein this year.

Pat’s Pastured is selling pounds of sweet Italian and savory pork and chicken sausage. You’ll be able to pick up your order at their East Greenwich Farm Store on Friday, Nov. 22, or Saturday, Nov. 23, or at Farm Fresh RI Winter Market in Providence on Nov. 23. Feeling generous? They’re raising money for local families who cannot afford their own turkey this year.

Blackbird Farm in Smithfield ships their antibiotic-free, no-added-hormones, pasture-fed meats. Expect 100 percent Black Angus cattle and 100 percent pedigreed American Heritage Berkshire pigs in their fields; the mean can be sliced into cuts such as sirloin strips and filet mignon, or spare ribs and a loin roast. Learn more about shipping costs here.

Chef Ian Gormley operated the popular pop-up restaurant Our Table Barbecue inside Buttonwoods Brewery in Cranston until early 2023. Now he’s bringing back his famous brisket for Thanksgiving for a second year under the brand Oakey Dokey BBQ. For $175, grab “The Great Holiday Brisket, Charlie Brown” package, which includes a smoked 10- to 12-pound beef brisket and a quart of their own barbecue sauce. The deadline to order is Nov. 20; orders will be ready for pickup on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27 during open hours at Jeff’s Pizza in East Providence.

Try seafood instead this year – we are in the Ocean State, after all. Oysters were first documented in the United States as part of a Thanksgiving meal in 1825 in the Village Register of Dedham, Mass., where locals listed “oyster patties” among their dishes for Thanksgiving dinner. When Governor Bradford of Plymouth Colony called for a bountiful feast in 1621, America’s colonists and Wampanoag tribe members mostly ate lobster, clams, mussels, eels, and oysters. Scholars say Indigenous tribe members likely brought the oysters, which were dried, smoked, and strung on twigs.

This year, bring those oysters back to your table. Fearless Fish on Hope Street in Providence offers cuts of salmon, tuna, and local oysters. Market owner Stu Meltzer has been doubling down on a new program at his shop that focuses on ikejime, a centuries-old Japanese method where the fish is killed immediately after being caught; studies have shown this can lead to better taste, texture, appearance, and longer shelf life. He has fluke, scup, monkfish, halibut, and black sea bass that were all handled with the ikejime method. Go ahead and order a tin of caviar while you’re at it.

Before they close for the season, you might want to head to Dune Brothers, the innovative clam shack that plans to expand even more in 2025. Until Nov. 20, you can pre-order online, including clear and white chowders, Jonah crab dip, squid salad, and a few other sides. A very-Rhode Island dish to bring to your out-of-town families should be their stuffie stuffing. Stuffies in Rhode Island are baked quahog clams stuffed with a breadcrumb and clam mixture. If an establishment leans into Portuguese influences, they will likely add some smoky chouriço, too. Dune Brothers will also be an option to order an entire Thanksgiving Feast complete with a whole fish with herbs to roast at homes, with sides or an à la carte offering. Pick ups will take place on Nov. 27, the day before Thanksgiving.

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If you — or members of your family — don’t feel like eating meat now (or ever), opt for some items from plant-based SoCo Vedge. They are preparing a “Gobbler Roast” with caramelized onion gravy. Sides include orange ginger cranberry sauce, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, rosemary and sage stuffing, apple cider glazed Brussels sprouts, green bean and mushroom casserole, and dinner rolls. Everything included is $90, and the full meal serves two people. If you just want the sides, it’s $75. Upgrade your pack by adding harvest bisque for $6, a 4-inch pumpkin cheesecake for $20, or a Dutch apple pie for $30.

Order by Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. Pick up from their kitchen, which is inside The Tavern in Mariner Square in Narragansett.

On what plate and during what holiday is pasta not an acceptable meal? In Warren, Prica Farina Fresh Pasta Co. prepares all sorts of raviolis (450 to 500 pounds per week, to be exact), along with bucatini, tagliatelle, mafaldine, and spaghetti.

If you’re closer to the city, it’s an obvious choice to head to Providence’s Venda Ravioli, an Italian food emporium located on Atwells Avenue in the Federal Hill neighborhood. Grab pasta sauces and various kinds of ravioli, including porcini mushroom, artichoke, lobster, truffle, eggplant, and more.

You want to bring something to drink but you — or others in your family — aren’t drinking. Plain water can be bland, so look into trying a few bottled or canned mocktails.

Kristi’s Kraftails, founded by Kristi Dukoff in Warren, sells seasonally-inspired mocktails by the bottle that use locally-sourced ingredients and are low in their sugar content. She has options like hibiscus lavender “daiquiris,” and “Mint to Be,” a play on a strawberry-basil margarita, a mint orange blossom “sour,” among others. Also be sure to grab a bag of her flavored cashews for the cheese board during appetizer hour.

Depending on which candidate wins the presidential race, you can serve “Kamala’s Berry Surprise” or “Donald’s Trumpian Punch,” two flavors from Yacht Club Soda. If you’re celebrating President Biden’s one-term stint in the White House, I hear they still have 12-packs of “Joe’s Bidenomics Berry.” But for most families, politics is one topic that is barred from the Thanksgiving table. So, instead, mix up a 12-pack of their normal flavors, such as cream, ginger beer, birch beer, black cherry, and Rhody Red. All of their sodas are sweetened with cane sugar, so enjoy without the stress of high-fructose corn syrup getting in the way.

We’re in our nonalcoholic beer era, but zero proof is more than a trend. Beaglepuss Brewery — the brainchild of Jarad Rogers, Patrick Ramey, and Kevin Barnes — is a new nonalcoholic brewing company that opened in Providence in late 2023. Their “Strange Happenings” brew is a hazy IPA with fruity flavors of apricot, peach, melon, and pineapple with a slightly piney finish. “Them Apples” is a New England hopped cider with guava, grapefruit, flora, and crisp tart apple. Here’s where you can find their beers in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Buying various cheeses and accoutrements to build your own board is pricey and time-consuming — especially if you’re feeding a crowd. In Providence, head to East Side Cheese & Provisions, where actress Jamie Lee Curtis spent some time this past year while filming “Ella McCay.” Each cheese board includes a range of cheeses, such as soft and bloomy, hard and blue, and various milk types including cow, goat, and sheep. The small board is $85 for four to six people, and includes meats, fruit, honey, small-batch jam, whole grain mustard, olives, pickled vegetables, and more. Prices increase to $185 for a medium board and $255 for a large one. You can also request a “cheese only” board to make it vegetarian.

In Cranston, head to Edgewood Cheese Shop for plated arrangements on a disposable balsa wood board to bring over to the host’s house. A small board feeds 10 for $109; medium-sized boards are an appetizer for 15 people for $159, and a large-sized board feeds 20 for $199. Each board includes cheeses, meats, jam, fried fruit, nuts, sliced baguette, and crackers. Call 401-941-2400 or go online to place your order.

Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WLNE) — Connecticut State Police said a car crash in Bolton, Conn. has helped Pawtucket police locate a man wanted for armed robbery in Rhode Island.

On Nov. 1, 33-year-old Kyle Fortier allegedly crashed a car into a pole, and fled the scene on foot into the woods, leaving three passengers, including two children, behind.

Police said Fortier had been known to have weapons on his person in previous encounters with Connecticut State Police was also wanted for alleged armed robbery in Rhode Island.

Pawtucket police asked for Connecticut police assistance after notifying troopers that Fortier and the subject vehicle from the crash were wanted for processing and questioning.

Fortier was taken into custody and charged with two counts of risk of injury, and one count of reckless endangerment, interfering with an officer, evading responsibility, and failure to maintain a proper lane.

The suspect also had an active warrant for violating probation.

Fortier was held on a $500,000 bond and a $25,000 court set bond.

No injuries have been reported by police.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island voters have shown their support for the arts with the approval of question 5.

The $10 million bond will support the state’s arts community, which has been called a vital economic driver that boosts jobs and tourism.

With 56% of voters in favor, Question 5 has officially passed, setting aside $10 million in funding for the cultural arts and economy grant program.

Advocates said the money will also provide much-needed support for organizations like the Tomaquag museum, The Newport Contemporary Ballet, and Trinity Repertory Company.

Supporters said this investment in the arts not only enriches the lives of Rhode Islanders, but also creates jobs and boosts tourism.

“The arts are the only sector where you have a five-fold bottom line that’s being met. Certainly economic, with arts and culture being one of the third largest sectors in comparison to construction in terms of economic impact on Rhode Island,” said Executive Director for RI State Council on the Arts, Todd Trebour.

With this funding, supporters said the arts community can continue to thrive, bringing in visitors and supporting local businesses across the state.

They argue that arts and culture are proven economic engines, providing good jobs and enhancing tourism efforts that increase revenue.

The bond includes matching grants for local organizations, supports growth at every level, from museums and theater companies to individual artists.

In fact, arts supporters say this investment improves Rhode Island’s appeal as a destination and builds a stronger community for residents.

“It will have direct impact on individuals’ physical and mental health in so many different ways in all different forms of art wether that be music, or visual art, or theatre, or dasnce, and we wanrt to make sure that as one of the state’s leading industries, the arts are seen as essential for both economic growth and quality of life,” said Executive Director of Trinity Rep, Katie Lieberman.