Hunger Fight, the Northeast Florida nonprofit founded by Sherri Porter in 2012, plans its 14th annual Thanksgiving Community Outreach during the first week of November. The milestone comes as the organization has now packaged more than 39 million meals for children facing food insecurity.

The outreach will bring volunteers together to pack meals for underserved children across Florida's First Coast, including the Ponte Vedra Beach and Nocatee area. A specific date and venue have not yet been posted.

The Ponte Vedra Recorder first reported on the anniversary and the nonprofit's growth in a Sept. 25 profile. Porter described the group's meal-packing sessions as "two hours of controlled chaos," the Recorder reported. Businesses, churches and community groups can sign up for the sessions, which double as team-building exercises.

Two programs target childhood hunger and literacy

Hunger Fight runs two programs aimed at school-age children. Feed the Backpacks sends four-serving packaged meals home with students enrolled in the federal free and reduced-price meal program so they have food over the weekend. Feed the Need to Read distributes age-appropriate books each month to Title I elementary students. That literacy program has given out 900,000 books since it launched about six years ago.

Inaugural Bed Race raises more than $30,000

The nonprofit also held its inaugural Bed Race fundraiser in August in Jacksonville. Eight teams built homemade race beds and competed in costumes. One crew showed up dressed as chickens. The event raised more than $30,000 for the organization's mission, according to the Recorder.

A second Bed Race is on the calendar for Oct. 23, 2027.

Residents interested in volunteering, sponsoring meals or donating books can visit hungerfight.org for details.

Upcoming Hunger Fight events

  • 14th annual Thanksgiving Community Outreach — first week of November (exact date and location to be announced at hungerfight.org)
  • Second Bed Race fundraiser — Oct. 23, 2027, in Jacksonville