Boxes of Love packs thousands of meals for families across Greater Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Every year, hundreds of volunteers gather to fill thousands of boxes for families in need across WAVE Country for the Boxes of Love food drive.

This year, however, volunteer numbers had to be slashed due to the pandemic.

Although the volunteer force may have been slashed in half, the goal was the same.

“To be able to bring Christmas and a meal to the people that need it,” Louisville Metro Council President David James said.

To make up for lost hands on deck, some of the food was packed days in advance.

Those who were able to show up, like Ayden Clemons, still had a lot of work to do.

He said the work was all worth it.

“Seeing the people’s faces that are helping and everybody around it’s just pretty awesome,” Clemons said.

Clemons is a freshman at Butler Traditional High School.

He said he’s a huge fan of Lebron James, but missed watching him play last night to be here Tuesday morning.

“I’m very grateful to have the stuff that I have and I feel like to give back to the community is the least I can do,” Clemons said. “Some people grow up in harsh households. I just feel that this is one of the best things we can do is give back to the community.”

Ayden’s uncle works in a local labor union. Those unions a big part of this event.

Metro United Way Labor Liaison Tim Sanders said Tuesday people can learn a thing or two from kids like Ayden especially during 2020.

“The kids inspire us to do more,” Sanders said. “These kids, we need to give [them] more credit, because you give them a task, they’ll do it and they’ll teach us things on the way. As we say at the United Way, we need to live united, now more than ever.”

The boxes filled Tuesday will feed 6,000 people in the Louisville area.

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