BURKE, VA — Organizers of Blessing Baskets are seeking donations of complete Thanksgiving meal baskets for local families, with a goal of collecting 750 this year.
Donors can drop off baskets Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to noon at Lake Braddock Secondary School, 9200 Burke Lake Road.
The initiative, organized by Jeannine Garcia and The National Landing Team, a local real estate team, works with school partners to identify families in need while protecting their privacy. The event was inspired by the organizers' first Thanksgiving after arriving in the United States.
"More than 30 years ago, during our first year in America, someone gave our family a Thanksgiving basket. We were new to the country, Thanksgiving was unfamiliar, and that simple gesture made us feel welcomed, remembered, and cared for," Garcia wrote on the event's page.
This is the fourth year for Blessing Baskets, which launched in 2023 with 118 baskets donated. In 2025, that number ballooned to 468. Organizers hope to surpass that total this year.
Participants are asked to complete the organizers' participation form and use the provided shopping list to assemble a basket.
Registration information and instructions are available on the event page.
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