Volunteers help local churches and organizations at meal distributions held days before Thanksgiving – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale

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MIAMI (WSVN) – Volunteers across South Florida have been spending their free time serving up help ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

From local churches to nonprofits, volunteers are feeding a need, and their hard work is making a Thanksgiving meal possible for dozens of families.

For members of the New Vision Emmanuel Baptist Church in Miami, Thanksgiving is more than handing out turkeys, although they did give out many of those, Sunday morning.

For people like Pastor Eric Remonvil and his congregation, it’s about knocking on doors and asking folks what they need.

“It’s so important that the church builds bridges with the community, and here at the New Haven community — this is a community that’s right across the street from our church, so it’s near and dear to our hearts,” said Remonvil. “A lot of our members live in here as well, so we want to make an impact, not just spiritually, but also for what they need.”

In Davie, volunteers with Goodman Jewish Family Services of Broward County packed hundreds of meals to be delivered to those homebound, or to hand out to those in need who came by to pick them up.

The meal distribution in Davie paid tribute to Chef Howie Kleinberg, a “Top Chef” competior and Miami restaurateur who passed away in 2022. His favorite holiday, his family said, was Thanksgiving.

The cost of the traditional meal is up from a year ago, although the American Farm Bureau Federation said the price of turkey has dropped 6% to an average of $25.67. It’s the cost of all of the side dishes that has pushed the price of the overall meal about 2.5% higher than it was in 2023.

From West Park to Homestead, the need is still there.

At Harris Field Park in Homestead, the Orange Bowl Committee handed out food at to close to 1,000 families in need, Saturday.

“We’ve had people in line for three to four hours this morning, waiting for the opportunity to not only get the turkey, but feel loved and appreciated,” said Orange Bowl Committee member LaTéssa Dotson Hall.

Back at New Vision Emmanuel Baptist Church, organizers hope to do their part to make the holidays a little brighter.

“We are gonna go knocking on every door. First we’re going to ask them, ‘How can we pray for you?’ Because we want to make sure that we’re praying for our community, but [also asking about] the specific needs of our community,” said Remonvil. “Second, those that do answer, we want to also bless them. We want to put something in their hands, where we are blessing them with a turkey for this Thanksgiving holiday.”

There are several food banks that are looking for volunteers. If you would like to help, you may find more information about Farm Share Food Distribution here and more information about Feeding South Florida here.