Boca Helping Hands Seeks Community Support to Provide Thanksgiving Meals for 24,000 People

Boca Helping Hands is seeking community support to distribute Thanksgiving meals to approximately 4,000 families through its 21st annual Thanksgiving Box Brigade program. The initiative will provide a complete holiday meal including a turkey and all necessary ingredients to feed approximately 24,000 people across Palm Beach County. Community members can contribute by donating the cost of a meal box for $29.72 through the organization's website at https://bocahelpinghands.org/thanksgiving.

The need for hunger relief programs has intensified in Palm Beach County due to rising food costs, housing expenses, and stagnant wages. According to the 2024 Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed Report for Florida, 46% of Palm Beach County households struggle to make ends meet. This includes 12% living below the Federal Poverty Level and 35% earning above the poverty line but insufficient to afford basic necessities. The statistics reveal that one in nine people in the county face challenges putting food on their tables.

Distribution of the Thanksgiving meal boxes will occur the weekend before Thanksgiving on November 22 and 23 at five drive-thru locations throughout the county. The program serves current Pantry Bag Program clients in east Boca Raton, west Boca, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, and Lake Worth. Andrew Hagen, Executive Director of Boca Helping Hands, expressed gratitude for community support, noting that donations enable families who might otherwise lack resources to share holiday meals together.

The Thanksgiving Box Brigade receives significant corporate and individual sponsorship. Dalfen Industrial serves as the Overall Sponsor, while Bob and Anita Kriensky sponsor the east Boca Raton distribution. Other supporters include Humana as West Boca Sponsor, Purity Wholesale Grocers Inc. as Boynton Beach Sponsor, Vertical Bridge Charitable Network as Delray Beach Sponsor, and Avalon Bay Communities as Lake Worth Sponsor. Bob Kriensky emphasized his family's commitment to supporting the program amid ongoing economic challenges facing local families.

While the Thanksgiving program addresses immediate holiday needs, food insecurity remains a year-round concern in Palm Beach County. The organization notes that reductions in funding for food assistance programs have exacerbated the situation. Any contributions exceeding Thanksgiving expenses will support ongoing food programs serving the 181,000 families in Palm Beach County facing food insecurity throughout the year. The organization's broader mission extends beyond holiday meals to address persistent hunger and financial instability affecting nearly 35,000 people annually.