PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) - Students at one South Florida high school are driven to help some deserving families in their community. They are collecting must-have Thanksgiving dinner items with the purpose of caring for those who may not have a plate to share during the holiday.

As packed cars pulled into the parking lot, relief for those suffering from food insecurity was unloaded.

“This year were experiencing food insecurity at a much higher level,” said Ruth Bonet with Feeding South Florida. “We are seeing an increase of about 30% for the request for food assistance. This food drive alone will serve over 1000 families this holiday season.”

On Saturday, American Heritage School’s upper school Broward campus hosted its third annual “Thanksgiving Meal in a Bag” food drive benefiting Feeding South Florida.

“It’s very important, especially in the last few years with the increase in food prices and things like that,” said PTO President Katie Rice. “It’s important to give back and help families in need.”

Bags stuffed with Thanksgiving meal essentials and gift cards for turkeys were handed over. Many thanked the volunteers for the extra help ahead of the holidays.

“We really want to thank everybody feed everybody, help everybody,” Rhonda Lewis, the food drive co-chair. “Our school is all about giving and being the amazing community we can.”

This Thanksgiving season, over 1.2 million individuals throughout South Florida are experiencing food insecurities. If you are interested in making a difference and helping those in need during the holiday season, visit feedingsouthflorida.org for more information.

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