Florida law firm brightens Thanksgiving for nearly 700 Orlando families with free turkeys: 'Very blessed'
Nearly 700 families get free turkeys
Pendas Law Firm gave out turkeys to nearly 700 families on Tuesday morning in Orlando ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. "It’s humbling. I come from very meager beginnings myself, I can relate to what some of these folks are doing," said Lawyer Lou Pendas.
ORLANDO, Fla. - "It makes my heart happy," said Patricia Stock.
Stock is one of hundreds of people who received free turkeys Tuesday morning as part of The Pendas Law Firm's 15th annual turkey giveaway. The Florida-based law firm distributed turkeys to 675 families on Tuesday.
When FOX 35 arrived on site at 6 a.m., people were lined up on Colonial Drive waiting to receive their Butterball birds.
"We were in the shelter for a couple years. We fell on hard times, and now we’re getting back on our feet and it’s so great what they do," Stock said. "We’re very blessed and very thankful for what they do, or else we probably wouldn’t have had Thanksgiving."
Blessed, humbled and thankful – those are three words that come to mind when describing the emotion surrounding the gratuitous giveaway.
Lawyer Lou Pendas is the mastermind behind it all.
"It’s humbling. I come from very meager beginnings myself, I can relate to what some of these folks are doing," said Pendas.
Law firm gives away hundreds of turkeys
Pendas Law Firm gave out turkeys to nearly 700 families on Tuesday morning in Orlando ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. "It’s humbling. I come from very meager beginnings myself, I can relate to what some of these folks are doing," said Lawyer Lou Pendas.
He said he has lived in the area his whole life, and wanted to give back after going through financial hardships at a young age.
Marilyn Scott, another turkey recipient, said she can’t wait to roast her turkey in the oven come Thursday.
She said she is going to prepare it with the usual fix-ins, like mashed potatoes and some vegetables. However, she says she will also have traditional seasonings from her home country, Peru, on the table.
The first-come, first-serve walk-up started at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and went on until all the turkeys were gone.
"We don’t want credit for this. This is really what we do as a blessing for others," Pendas said.
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In addition to the 675 turkeys distributed in Orlando, the Pendas Law Firm is giving out turkeys at four other locations across the state: Tampa, Miami Jacksonville and Fort Myers.
In total, the firm will provide 2,200 turkeys to families in need.