Feeding South Florida to Host First-Ever Thanksgiving Community Feast on Nov. 26

More than 1.7 million individuals throughout South Florida are expected to experience food insecurity this holiday season. Feeding South Florida®, the leading hunger-relief organization serving Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, will host its inaugural Thanksgiving Community Feast on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Hard Rock Stadium, bringing together 500 guests for a traditional Thanksgiving meal in a celebration centered on hospitality, connection and community support.  

To help bring this event to life, Feeding South Florida is partnering with Florida Dairy Farmers, Hispanic Unity, City of West Park, Eat Well Exchange, Heart & Hand Outreach, Lucky Strike Entertainment, Sistrunk Seeds, Southern Flow Logistics, Bank of America, Miami-Dade County and The Light Preparatory Academy Inc. 

Each year, Feeding South Florida helps South Florida families celebrate Thanksgiving through holiday food distributions across the four counties it serves. In 2025 alone, the nonprofit organization provided turkeys and traditional holiday side items to more than 15,500 families, giving them the ingredients needed to prepare Thanksgiving meals at home. 

Those distributions also highlighted a challenge that food alone cannot address. Some community members shared that they had no one to celebrate with because they had lost a spouse or loved one, lived far from family, lacked transportation or experienced social isolation. Those conversations inspired Feeding South Florida to conceptualize the first Thanksgiving Community Feast.  

The event will bring volunteers, corporate partners and community organizations together around one table, helping the community experience the traditions and fellowship that Thanksgiving is recognized for. 500 guests will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal featuring turkey and traditional favorites, along with an afternoon of live entertainment and family-friendly activities. 

In an effort to provide longer-term support, community resource partners will be on-site to provide information and connect guests with programs for food assistance, benefits enrollment, workforce development and other supportive services. 

Sponsorships and monetary donations are the primary drivers behind making the Thanksgiving Community Feast possible, funding the holiday meal and the overall guest experience. Feeding South Florida invites businesses, organizations and individuals to support the event through sponsorship or a monetary gift to help bring the Thanksgiving Community Feast to life.  

“Thanksgiving should be a day filled with warmth, connection and gratitude, but for too many of our neighbors, it's a day spent alone,” said Paco Vélez, president and CEO of Feeding South Florida. “As we work to address food insecurity across South Florida this holiday season, we have learned that a full plate isn't always enough. Community Feast was born from the stories of neighbors who told us they were thankful for a meal but had no one to share it with. This Thanksgiving, we invite our community to join us at Hard Rock Stadium, whether as a volunteer, chef, donor or sponsor, to help ensure that every guest leaves with a warm meal, new connections and knowing that their community is there for them.” 

Feeding South Florida extends its gratitude to its generous preliminary sponsors and participating organizations, including Synovus + Pinnacle, Florida Virtual School, Florida Association of Women Law Enforcement Professionals, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (South Florida Chapter), GTX Legal and AvMed. 

To learn more, visit: https://feedingsouthflorida.org/thanksgivingcommunityfeast. To learn more, contact Amanda Nelson, anelson@feedingsouthflorida.org, 954.518.1818 x1861