ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Volunteers came together Saturday to prepare boxes of food that will be distributed to more than 1,000 Orange County families on Thanksgiving morning.

It's part of the Southeastern Food Bank’s “Food For Families” gathering.

“This pandemic has really brought everyone into a frenzy mode, and hunger is at all-time high, job loss at an all-time high,” said Jonathan Mills, who runs operations at the Southeastern Food Bank.

Mills said that food is critical as Florida’s unemployment rate reached 7.6 percent in September. More than 450,000 jobs have been lost across the state since September 2019.

“Families who were living pay check to paycheck now with no paycheck, single mothers all of sudden no food, hotel and entertainment industry has been decimated.”

This year the food bank has distributed seven million pounds of food. Last year, it distributed about two and a half million pounds.

Tammy Schuster volunteered to help needy families across Central Florida. She helped out with her church members from First Baptist Church Winter Garden. They know the importance of helping out during hard times.

“Things were already tough, and you lose more, it’s going to be incredible than ever this will be valuable,” Schuster said.

The boxes of food will be loaded up on two semi-trucks the night before Thanksgiving, and on Thanksgiving morning volunteers will distribute the food to the families.

The Southeastern Food Bank is always in need of non-perishable items and monitory donations.