Help Deliver Thanksgiving Meals to South Floridians in Need

South Florida charity Boca Helping Hands is seeking support from the community to distribute meals to families in need this Thanksgiving. The organization’s 21^st annual Thanksgiving Box Brigade program will feed approximately 24,000 people by providing a turkey and a box filled with everything a family needs to prepare a holiday meal. Members of the community can get involved by donating the cost of a box, feeding a family and giving back in the spirit of the holiday, for just $29.72 at bocahelpinghands.org/thanksgiving.

“One in nine people in Palm Beach County are struggling to put food on the table. Rising food costs, housing expenses and stagnant wages have only intensified the need for hunger relief programs in Palm Beach County,” Boca Helping Hands explains in their plea for donations, explaining that, according to the 2024 Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) Report for Florida, 46% of Palm Beach County households struggled to make ends meet, with 12% of those living below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and 35% earning above the FPL but not enough to afford the most basic budget.

“We recognize the difficulties many families are experiencing, and my wife, Anita and I are proud to once again support the Thanksgiving Box Brigade this year,” east Boca Raton sponsor Bob Kriensky said. Other Thanksgiving Box Brigade supporters include the Overall Sponsor, Dalfen Industrial. East Boca Sponsors are Bob and Anita Kriensky; West Boca Sponsor is Humana; Boynton Beach Sponsor is Purity Wholesale Grocers Inc.; Delray Beach Sponsor is Vertical Bridge Charitable Network; and the Lake Worth Sponsor is Avalon Bay Communities.

Boca Helping Hands will distribute the turkeys and Thanksgiving meal boxes to current Pantry Bag Program clients the weekend before Thanksgiving, on November 22 and 23, at its five drive-thru distribution locations in east Boca Raton, west Boca, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, and Lake Worth.

“We are deeply appreciative of the way that the community helps each year with their food drives and Thanksgiving box donations,” said BHH Executive Director Andrew Hagen. “Thanks to them, families who might not have had enough money to afford to celebrate can now share a holiday meal together.”

Although there has been tremendous community support for the Thanksgiving Box Brigade program, food insecurity remains a problem year-round – especially now with reductions in funding for food.

Any contributions that exceed Thanksgiving expenses will be used toward Boca Helping Hands food programs throughout the year, helping to support the 181,000 families in Palm Beach County facing food insecurity.