Alexandria woman helping to feed 500 families for Thanksgiving

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A woman is undertaking massive effort to feed 500 families for the holiday season, one food box at a time.

Planning for the Thanksgiving holiday is already underway. But for families in the DC region who are struggling to make ends meet, a holiday meal is not in the budget.

No one wants to see families go hungry, especially Kia Davis. She is at the forefront with Project Giveback, a nonprofit in Virginia that is working to raise money to provide healthy food boxes to low-income families. Each box costs about $70 and contains enough food to feed a family of four for two weeks.

The project started with 25 families eight years ago, and this year Davis hopes to feed 500 families. Project Giveback works closely with city schools, churches and the Fairfax County Department of Family Services to locate families in need of help.

"No one should go without food at any given time of the year, but particularly Thanksgiving. It's that special time, it's the beginning of the season and we're trying to do our part," Davis told FOX 5.

While half the battle is accruing funds, the other depends on volunteers. Davis says they're in need of people who can put the boxes together and deliver them the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

FOX 5 and Easterns Automotive Group teamed up to help Pay It Forward by presenting Davis with a check for $3,750 to purchase food for families in need to have a happy Thanksgiving.

On Project Giveback's website, people can register to volunteer and or help with monetary donations.

If you know someone who should be featured on Pay It Forward, you can nominate them here. In your email, be sure to include who they are and why they deserve to be recognized.