SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Some Seminole County students kicked off their Thanksgiving holiday by distributing nearly 30 food baskets to needy families in the community.
The group gathered at Milwee Middle School Saturday morning to box the food.
"I like to help people out and this is a really nice way," sixth grade Milwee MS student Rose Bernard said.
The students are members of Junior Optimist Clubs from Lyman, Winter Springs, and Lake Brantley High Schools, as well as Milwee Middle School.
The community service clubs are lead y the South Seminole Optimist Club.
"It's great to see them here being involved," Mike Spalding with the South Seminole Optimist Club said.
The volunteers went down an assembly line and boxed 26 Thanksgiving meals for local families in need.
The students collected 1,200 cans of food and the organization bought turkeys, pies and bread.
"Corn, cranberry sauce, green beans. All the necessities for a Thanksgiving meal," eighth grade Milwee MS student Matthew Fannin said.
The students filled each box to the top. Some were almost too heavy to load into the cars.
Once the vehicles were packed with the turkey day goods, the students delivered the food to the families' doorsteps.
Fannin said spreading holiday cheer is the most rewarding part.
"You've got to give back to the community by anyway possible," Fannin said.
Spalding said he is most proud of seeing the students learn how they can make a difference in someone's life.
“it can become a way of life. Too many people see too many negative things today. We want to bring out some positive and have it be a way of life for them, transmit it to somebody else. That would be great,” Spalding said.