In Miami, a time-honored tradition unfolds as hundreds of South Florida families gather before dawn near Loan Depot Park. On Wednesday, the line began to form on NW 16th Avenue and W. Flagler Street in Little Havana, where the Latin Chamber of Commerce's Jabas holiday food basket giveaway took place at the CAMACOL tower on Flagler Street. Only those in vehicles were eligible for the food baskets; walk-ups were not permitted. The distribution started at 7 a.m.

First in Line: Juanita Alvarez

The first person in line was Juanita Alvarez, who had camped out overnight. She expressed the need she saw around her. "There is a lot of need, believe me. Many people are not here because they don't have cars and that made me feel bad. All the items in the supermarket went really high so that’s why we are grateful for the Latin Chamber of Commerce doing this for 39 years."The pandemic has had an impact on the number of grocery bags distributed. While it used to be in the thousands, now it's just several hundred. This year, they are giving out 750 bags, a bit more than last year's 700.

Another Opportunity on Thursday

Because the event was only for those in vehicles, sponsor Sedano's Supermarket announced another chance for people to get food on Thursday. "There’s another non-profit which is very close to here that we are going to be sending bags of product there so they can go tomorrow and pick it up. Those are people who couldn’t get it today. That’s something new that we did and CAMACOL put together," said Pedro Mesa with Sedano's Supermarket.The giveaway at Healthy Little Havana, at 515 SW 12 Avenue, will begin at 10 a.m.

The History of the Food Drive

Mario O. Gutierrez, the past president of CAMACOL and a PepsiCo executive, started this food drive nearly 40 years ago with only 20 baskets. Before the pandemic, it was the largest food basket giveaway in Florida, serving over 15,000 families.The food bags handed out contain an ample amount of food, including pork, rice, side dishes, and drinks, enough for a family of six to enjoy a wonderful Noche Buena meal.The Latin Chamber of Commerce and Industry of USA (Cámara de Comercio e Industria Latina de los Estados Unidos) holds the distinction of being the largest Hispanic business organization in Florida.