MIAMI (WSVN) - A Miami Heat legend is once again a driving force behind a holiday giveaway that will enable South Florida families in need to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Alonzo Mourning’s efforts to put smiles on local families’ faces is just one of several organizations aiming to give many residents a reason to give thanks.
It’s the 17th year in a row that the Mourning Family Foundation continues the tradition of passing out full Thanksgiving meals. On Tuesday, they loaded up boxes of food from Publix Supermarket.
“We’ve got a lot of families at this time of year, just throughout the year, that really don’t have the ability or the resources to feel their families during the holidays,” said Mourning, “so we embraced the opportunity as an organization to partner up with some amazing people.”
The meals come complete with all the trimmings. “The meal will consist of turkey, dressing, potatoes,” he said. “You’ve got some canned goods and also a large tea, a gallon of tea, so basically a full Thanksgiving meal.”
The meals will head to selected families from Miami’s Overtown and Little Haiti communities.
Mourning is also giving thanks for the contributions made by Publix and FedEx that made it possible to spread the joy. “They’re the true champions here in our community, and they understand the importance of helping us to uplift the community,” he said.
The generosity is also being felt in Broward County. Western High School in Davie has partnered with the nonprofit Harvest Drive to give another 500 deserving families a Thanksgiving meal this week.
Every one of those families will receive a full meal, as well as an additional 20 bags filled with food and other household items.
Mourning will also surprise 10 families on Thanksgiving who would otherwise not have a meal to enjoy on the holiday. He will personally visit them and deliver a ready-to-eat, fully cooked turkey.
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