Where to give or help hand out food this Thanksgiving on the islands

Neighbors looking to donate food or help hand it out before Thanksgiving have a few options on and near the islands, from a Bal Harbour police basket drive this Sunday to the food-rescue groups working with Miami Beach’s new food waste pilot.

Bal Harbour: pack baskets Sunday

The Bal Harbour Police Legacy Foundation’s Thanksgiving food drive runs Sunday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. to noon at Bal Harbour Waterfront Park, 18 Bal Bay Drive, according to the village’s event page. Volunteers will help prepare and package Thanksgiving baskets for local families in need, and students can earn community service hours. To volunteer, email [email protected].

Anyone can sponsor a basket for $40, through Zelle, Cash App ($BHPDLegacy) or a check mailed to the Bal Harbour Police Department, the page says. Questions go to 305-993-7444.

Rescue food year-round

In early November, Miami Beach started a 120-day pilot that steers surplus food from stores and restaurants to four food-recovery groups instead of the landfill: Food Rescue US, Farm Share, Nourish Miami and Feeding South Florida. The city’s announcement covers businesses only, but two of those groups take individual volunteers.

• Food Rescue US South Florida uses an app to send volunteer drivers to pick up surplus food from donors and drop it at social service agencies. Its partner agencies include two in Miami Beach, Adopt a Family Miami and All Souls Episcopal Church. Sign up at app.foodrescue.us; groups can write to [email protected].
• Feeding South Florida, the regional food bank, signs up volunteers to sort and pack donations, deliver grocery boxes to older adults in Miami-Dade and staff food distributions. Details are on its volunteer page or at [email protected].

Deliver meals on Thanksgiving Day

Branches, a Miami-Dade nonprofit, plans to prepare and deliver 6,500 Thanksgiving meals to people in need across Miami-Dade and Broward on Thursday, Nov. 26, according to its event page. The page links to volunteer sign-ups and a donation form, and does not say whether Miami Beach is on the delivery routes. Its food-drive deadline, the first week of November, has passed. The general line is 305-442-8306.

Also this week

Bay Harbor Islands lists a Senior Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. at 1175 95th St. The town’s calendar doesn’t say who is eligible or whether to RSVP; the town’s number is 305-866-6241.

The Jewish Volunteer Center’s annual Everything But the Turkey event in Miami Beach was scheduled for Nov. 8 at Temple Beth Sholom, according to Jewish Miami’s event listing.

Red Sidewalks found no 2026 Thanksgiving drive announced yet by Miami Beach, Surfside, North Bay Village or Sunny Isles Beach, or by their police departments. Organizers can send details through the tips page, and this list will be updated as drives are announced.