NORFOLK, Va. — What better way to spend Christmas Eve than by giving back.
Friday morning, six nonprofits from across Hampton Roads teamed up for another "Feed The City" food drive in Norfolk.
Dozens of volunteers teamed up to give away 200 meals to families in Norfolk.
Tanecia Newman of NewMan Fitness Foundation said they wanted to make the giveaway as convenient as possible for families.
“The walk up will be going in one direction and the cars will be coming in another direction," she explained, "And our volunteers will actually be walking the meals over to the cars."
The food drive was a joint effort between six different non-profits from around Hampton Roads.
It happened in the parking lot of the told Save-A-Lot grocery store, near the St. Paul’s Area.
Rickkita Riddick of Sisters Healing Sisters said they chose that area for a reason.
“We’re doing this because we realize this area is a food desert and we want to make sure the people here have food and nutrition during the holiday season," she explained.
“Just let the community know that there’s organizations that out here who care about you and we want to make sure – you not only get a hot meal – but spread some Christmas cheer, as well."
The store closed its doors in 2020.
Lakeesha Atkinson of Believe, Pray, Overcome noted it was the area's only fresh food option.
“We are about impacting the communities in need, and when we did our research, we did see that this area was a food desert, and that’s why we always choose this particular area," Atkinson said.
“When organizations come together, you’re able to do more, impact more families, impact more people.”
Volunteers invited everyone in the surrounding community to show up for a free meal and a bag filled with pandemic essentials, things like face masks and hand sanitizers.
“We’re happy to be out here," said Letitia Council of Nasia’s Foundation. "It’s Christmas Eve. A lot of families are grieving and going through it, including my own family; we’re also grieving but I’m here to show everybody we can overcome.”
Nicola Smith of Our Children, Our Village said there were a lot of people in need this holiday and they wanted to help.
“Still things are very hard for a lot of people," Smith said. "You have people who are still out of work, people whose children are in and out of school depending on their quarantine situation, and people who just think life has changed. Maybe they’ve lost a loved one and they were the sole provider of the household. You’ve got children who’ve lost their parents.”
Ronjeanna Harris of Jeanna’s iFeed told 13News Now this food drive is about more than a Christmas meal, it’s about connecting with the community.
“Providing home cooked meals is letting them know that someone does care, that someone is thinking about them during this holiday season," Harris said.
This is the second time the groups have hosted this event for Christmas. They did a similar food drive earlier this year for the Easter holiday.