OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Eighty one percent of Osceola County students are at or below the poverty level. That is why a special group of people are making sure to give to those students who are most in need during the holiday season.
- Groups to surprise families in need with Thanksgiving baskets
- Baskets filled with everything for a Thanksgiving meal
- Groups created two thousand baskets
Leslie Campbell deals with students below the poverty line in Osceola County firsthand. She knows how oftentimes many of them go hungry at night.
“We work with disenfranchised students and underprivileged students and there’s a huge need in Osceola County,” Campbell said.
Some of these families in need are getting a taste of Thanksgiving this holiday season.
Campbell recalls how one year a child called her an “angel” for showing up at their doorstep with a basket on hand.
“Last year when I was delivering I had one little boy, 5-year-old boy, look up at his mom and say 'mom -- how did she know we don’t have any food?'” Campbell explained.
La Rosa Realty, along with the school district, non-profits, and churches like Illuminate Church, came together to create two thousand Thanksgiving baskets for families in need.
“If we count the baskets we had last year compared to what is the need here for this year we won’t have enough,” said Joe La Rosa, the owner of La Rosa Realty. “That’s why we’re trying to make a big push here, going into these last few days to get as many baskets as we possibly can.”
The baskets have everything families need for a Thanksgiving meal. With these efforts, Campbell hopes one less child will go hungry this Thanksgiving season.
“I am so happy that as a group we have come together and we’re reaching out,” Campbell added. “Hopefully as the years go we can keep expanding the program because there is a huge need out there.”
None of the families getting a basket have any idea they will be receiving one — a true random act of kindness.
Baskets will be delivered on Saturday, November 16th.
If you would like to help deliver these baskets or donate a basket filled with goods, click here.