WHAT: The annual Helpings from the Heart event is expected to serve more than 20,000 free meals to deserving residents in Central Florida on Thanksgiving Day.
WHERE: Orlando, FL – Salvation Army gymnasium at 440 W. Colonial Dr.
WHEN: Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 22 beginning at 11:00 a.m.
WHO: The free public event is open to everyone. Food is also available for carry-out, while more than 8,000 meals will be delivered to nursing homes, shut-ins, local churches and other facilities throughout the Orlando area. The meals are provided through a collaborative effort between Eric Holm, owner and president of Metro Corral Partners, and several area business partners and community groups.
WHY: Holm started “Helpings from the Heart” in 1992 as a way to give back to the community and thank The Salvation Army, which provided a Thanksgiving meal to the Holm family when he was a child. Holm experienced the need for help first-hand. He grew up in a single-parent family and worked to help support his mother as a busboy in a restaurant where she was a waitress. This annual event now gives Holm the opportunity to help others who may not be able to afford a full Thanksgiving meal.
BY THE NUMBERS:
· 20,000 – Free Thanksgiving meals served at the Salvation Army, also available for carry out and delivered to residents throughout Orlando.
· 3,000 pounds each of turkey and ham
· 5,000 pounds of mashed potatoes
· 3,500 pounds each of green beans and sweet potatoes
· 800 pounds of gravy
· 400 pounds of cranberry sauce
· 15,000 portions of dessert
· Enough cans of soda when laid end-to-end to stretch a distance of two miles
· 1,100 – Number of Salvation Army volunteers that will arrive throughout the day to assist with serving and delivering meals.
· 500,000 – Estimated number of meals that have been served at the Helpings from the Heart event since it began in 1992.
