Boxes of Love prepares Christmas meals for families in need

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Volunteers gathered at Fourth Street Live Monday to put together Christmas meals for families in Louisville and Southern Indiana.

It was quite the production. Organized chaos as these boxes were filled with a soon-to-be dinner for four.

Hustle and bustle isn’t abnormal at Fourth Street Live, but on a Monday morning? Maybe a little. Over 200 volunteers are more than willing to give back to over 1500 needy families.

Some of these volunteers have been doing this for years. Others are here for the first time, like Noah Hickerson, who is volunteering alongside his mother Carmen this year.

“She convinced me to come," Noah said. "But it’s been a lot of fun and I’m having a lot of fun doing it.”

Down the line, you’ll find Michele Seewright, who said this large crowd of volunteers says a lot about this compassionate community.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, someone’s here thinking about someone," Seewright said.

As the volunteers filled the boxes with care, Governor Andy Beshear also made an appearance.

“Everybody here’s going to go to work just a little bit later, but they want to make sure they start the day by helping other people," Beshear said. "That’s the Christmas spirit. That’s the greatness of the people of Kentucky.”

Organizers of Monday’s event say they’re excited to see how it has grown.

“The needs will always exceed the resources available, but we want to do our part," Tim Sanders of the Metro United Way said. "We want to encourage and inspire others to go out, step out and help somebody.”

Sanders said Boxes of Love started with just over 50 boxes, and it’s since grown to 30 times that size.

The meals will go on to be delivered by first responders, veterans, and union members to families in need and supporting organizations in time for Christmas.

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