Boca Helping Hands Launches 21st Annual Thanksgiving Box Brigade to Address Food Insecurity

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 turkeys and complete holiday meal boxes to feed approximately 24,000 people across Palm Beach County, where one in nine residents struggles with food insecurity.

The need for hunger relief programs has intensified due to rising food costs, housing expenses, and stagnant wages. According to the 2024 Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) 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.

Community members can support the program by donating the cost of a Thanksgiving box for $29.72 at https://bocahelpinghands.org/thanksgiving. The organization has secured support from multiple sponsors including overall sponsor Dalfen Industrial, east Boca Raton sponsors Bob and Anita Kriensky, west Boca sponsor Humana, Boynton Beach sponsor Purity Wholesale Grocers Inc., Delray Beach sponsor Vertical Bridge Charitable Network, and Lake Worth sponsor Avalon Bay Communities.

Bob Kriensky, an east Boca Raton sponsor, stated, "We recognize the difficulties many families are experiencing, and my wife, Anita and I are proud to once again support the Thanksgiving Box Brigade this year." Distribution will occur the weekend before Thanksgiving (November 22 and 23) at five drive-thru locations serving east Boca Raton, west Boca, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, and Lake Worth.

BHH Executive Director Andrew Hagen expressed gratitude for community support, noting that "families who might not have had enough money to afford to celebrate can now share a holiday meal together." However, food insecurity remains a year-round challenge, particularly with recent reductions in food program funding. Any contributions exceeding Thanksgiving expenses will support the organization's ongoing food programs, which serve the 181,000 families in Palm Beach County facing food insecurity throughout the year.