ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014\u00a0A line of people wrapped around Valencia College Saturday morning to pick up a Thanksgiving meal kit from Heart of Florida United Way.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
Heart of Florida United Way held its largest Thanksgiving Project yet, distributing 6,000 meal kits
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Families across Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties say rising costs make holiday meals harder to afford
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Volunteers helped pack kits filled with shelf-stable items and a gift card for families to buy their own protein
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Many recipients are still struggling after the federal shutdown, making this support especially crucial<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t had family over in quite a few months because we don\u2019t have the extra,\u201d said Rachel Taffee, who received a Thanksgiving kit. \u201cI\u2019ve been out of work since April, and so it\u2019s been nice to be able to make sure we have enough food for our family to be able to come for Thanksgiving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heart of Florida United Way says need is greater than ever this holiday season.<\/p>\n
They passed out 6,000 meal kits for families across Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose 6,000 meal kits will feed 24,000 people Thanksgiving morning,\u201d said Jeff Hayward, President and CEO of Heart of Florida United Way.<\/p>\n
Hayward says many families impacted by the past federal shutdown are still struggling to catch up on rent, bills, and essential groceries \u2014 making a holiday meal feel out of reach this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all have hard times, and we are all going through things, and this is a way to bring people together,\u201d said Alisa Toro, a volunteer.<\/p>\n
Around 1,000 volunteers, including Toro, spent the week assembling the meal kits and handing them out to families on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Each one filled with shelf-stable items like canned vegetables, mashed potatoes, spices and a gift card for families to choose their own protein.<\/p>\n
For families like Rachel picking up these kits, the help is allowing them to enjoy the holiday with their loved ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t give up, something will always come through,\u201d said Rachel<\/p>\n