MIAMI – The annual CAMACOL food giveaway is back for another year as dozens of big name vendors have joined in to help feed hundreds of families here in South Florida.
The annual Christmas basket giveaway is being held Wednesday morning in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, and families were already lined up Tuesday to receive a bag full of free food to help with the upcoming holidays.
“I’ve been here since 8 o’clock this morning, making sure that nobody takes my place first,” Juanita Alvarez, who was first in line, told Local 10 News Tuesday night. “So I went back and forward, back and forward. I went around and around and around, going around the street to see somebody else until finally I did come across people here.”
This year’s event is taking place at the CAMACOL Tower on Flagler Street and 14th Avenue starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday. It’s a first come, first serve basis and you must arrive in a car. Walkups will be turned away.
“It means a lot for the families,” Letty Lee, who was waiting in line early Wednesday morning, said. “And what they’re doing is a great job, giving the food products away for people who need it.”
Last year’s event took place at loanDepot Park. A total of 700 families were fed with the help of sponsors like Publix and Sedanos, and this year, organizers expect to feed 750 families.
“(It’s) very important,” Alvarez said. “This is my 17th year coming here and my colleagues are way over there because they came late, so they’re way in the back, but they and I -- we always make the lines and we always help out the police and make sure the people get organized. And in 17 years, the Latin Chamber of Commerce, they’ve been doing a great job. This is their 39th year giving back to the community, giving out these Christmas baskets.”