MIAMI (WSVN) - CAMACOL is kicking off it’s decades long food distribution tradition in Little Havana where organizers expect to feed 750 families as they provide them with baskets filled with all of the food they need for a delicious Christmas spread.
Hundreds of families arrived at the drive-up only event that started at 8 a.m., Wednesday, near the LoanDepot Park to receive their free holiday meal.
This distribution is a well oil-machined and all hands are on deck as crews work relentlessly to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Representatives from sponsored companies like Wonder bread, Coca-Cola, Iberia, Publix, Goya, Sedano’s and more lined the streets and prepared bags filled with the supplies needed for a holiday dinner.
And there is no skimping as all of the sponsors are giving away full sized items.
Personal favorites includes Publix and Sedano’s pork thighs.
“We’ve been doing this for many years. It’s very important for CAMACOL to work with companies like mine, Sedano’s, to put together enough food to have a great Christmas Eve, but not only that we want them to have enough food for the rest of the week,” said Pedro Mesa, Sedano’s supervisor.
Some of items included in Sedano’s packaged bags to last throughout the remainder of the week includes crackers, pasta, vegetables, sausage, guava, and more.
“So, this is what we do. We have 750 bags which is good for thousands of people. We are very happy that they came already,” said Mesa.
The giveaway not only spreads the holiday cheer, but also helps ease the financial burden that low-income families tend to feel around this time of year.
“Miami has been evolving by leaps and bounds. Billionaires came coming in. Millionaires are coming in and we need to remember the rest of the community and this is a way, which we have been doing for the last 40 plus years,” Joe Chi, President of CAMACOL.
But just as in years past, these basket of blessings are first come, first serve while supplies last, only giving families a few hours to get what they need.
Knowing this, some residents got a head start yesterday.
By 6 p.m., roughly 15 cars had already lined up outside the event doors, over 12 hours before grand opening.
7News spoke with the first woman in line, who said, prices at the grocery store have been at an all time high, urging her to get in line 24 hours in advance to secure that first spot.
“This is my 17th year. Well the supermarkets lately, you know, they went high on the prices for all the items to cook. So these people from the Latin Chamber of Commerce they’re greta. What they do every year with this basket is fantastic cause they give us [a lot] of items,” said Juanita Alvarez. “I am happy. I share things with my family and they go crazy. They right now waiting for me tomorrow morning.”
Because of her patience Alvarez was able to get her goods bright and early the following morning.
“Feliz Navidad! We finally got it. I been here since 8 a.m., yesterday morning, so I made it!”, she said.
She and many others are grateful for the Latin Chamber of Commerce’s decades long tradition of giving out free food.
“I am happy that they always do this because they’re a lot of low income families that don’t get to celebrate Christmas all that much, but these guys really help out. It’s awesome to see that they are doing the Lord’s work,” said a Luis Diaz.
Luis Hernan is retired and disabled and depends on this food for the holidays to feed his family.
“It’s a help everything is so expensive right now. I am happy for this,” said Hernan.
If you can’t make it today, there will be a walk-up distribution at Healthy Little Havana located at 515 Southwest 12 Avenue on Thursday at 10:00a.m.
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