ORLANDO, Fla. – More than 1,500 Central Floridians spent their Saturday giving back to the community and had fun doing it.
Light Orlando and U.S. Hunger, along with other local organizations, teamed up for a massive food packing event at the Central Florida Fairgrounds.
Volunteers signed up to pack 500,000 meals. Larea Rodriguez came in from Orange City with her family to help.
“We should all take time as much as we can whenever we can to try and think about what God has given us and help others,” Rodriguez said.
[TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider]
Gemeima Canga is with Frontline Innovation Studios — she said she brought kids who are part of Frontline to help volunteer on Saturday.
“They’re really just packing food but really this is showing them that we’re all in this together and if we work together, we can make a bigger impact,” Canga said.
Volunteers packed up boxes with 48 bags of dry ingredients to make red lentil jambalaya.
U.S. Hunger CEO Rick Whitted said the food packed at Saturday’s event will ultimately go to families in need.
“Maybe for some families it’s just a season where we can’t make ends meet, and we’re seeing that so much more than we’ve seen since the pandemic honestly,” Whitted said.
Troy Wright with Light Orlando said events like this show people that giving back can also mean having fun.
“It is showing the youth in our community that we can give back and just really have a great time — it doesn’t have to feel like work,” Wright said.
Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below: