VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Thanksgiving is right around the corner, but thanks to the pandemic not everyone in Volusia County has enough to fill their tables this year. 

What You Need To Know

  • Volusia Thanksgiving Basket Brigade to feed thousands of families

  • Volunteers have put together food boxes for those in need

  • The meals will be delivered ahead of Thanksgiving

  • Group still needs donations to feed more families

One local charity called the Volusia Thanksgiving Basket Brigade is attempting to give out more Thanksgiving meals than they ever have before, but they need more donations to do so. 

“Our committee considered not doing it this year because of COVID, but we knew now more than ever that our community needed our help and support, we’ve had a lot of individuals who don’t normally reach out to us, normally they are the ones contributing, they are asking for help and we want to be able to respond and give them that help that they need,” said Amy Hall, director of the Volusia Thanksgiving Basket Brigade.

This year more than 3,100 families requested, or were nominated to receive, a Thanksgiving meal. That is the most requests the organization has ever had. They need all the donations by Friday at noon so they can be distributed in a socially distant manner this weekend. 

“Each box feeds about a family of five, so if you really think about that we are feeding over 15,000 people come Saturday,” Hall said. 

To build a Thanksgiving Brigade box, all you need to do is follow the suggested shopping list, pack it in a box, and drop it off at one of the collection locations by noon on Friday. It is considered a fun holiday bonus if you decorate your box.

For the first time, Shannon FitzPatrick Tatum participated, packing up a complete Thanksgiving meal to donate. She said she made the shopping experience into a family outing, selecting items they think would make Thanksgiving brighter for whatever family receives their donation. 

“We kind of wanted to put a little extra in there especially because 2020 had been one of the toughest years so many families have been through in so long so I am really excited about participating this year,” FitzPatrick Tatum said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, they only had collected about 2,000 boxes, but they are hoping more donations are dropped off by Friday. 

“This make me so proud, so proud of my community that we are willing to come together and really at the end of the day that is what it is all about, is for us to be able to support one another,” Hall said.