For the 9th year in a row, the Florida Theatre is proud to host their annual holiday movie and food drive benefiting Feeding Northeast Florida and the Northeast Florida community. The movie this year will be “Home Alone” (1990) and will start at 2 p.m. on Monday, December 23, 2024, inside the historic theatre.

Admission is free for every adult and child with a gift of a canned or nonperishable food item. Please bring one item per adult and one item per child – but more is welcome.

“We started this years ago (2015) as a way to give back to the community as a non-profit ourselves. It is a great family event and an opportunity to teach kids about philanthropy,” said Numa Saisselin, President of the Florida Theatre. “One year a lady pulled up in her car, opened her trunk, said she couldn’t attend the movie, but had been a recipient of the food bank in the past, and wanted to donate to the cause. Her trunk was full of food.”

Some suggestions for the food drive include canned vegetables like corn or green beans; canned fruit like peaches, pears, or mixed fruit; peanut butter in plastic jars; canned meats like tuna or chicken; pop-top cans of ravioli and spaghetti; canned soup; or boxed items like macaroni and cheese, pasta and instant potatoes.

All food donations will benefit Feeding Northeast Florida, the region’s largest and most efficient food bank and part of the Feeding America network.

“Support from the community is critical to our ability to serve neighbors in need. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Florida Theatre again for this wonderful holiday tradition,” said Susan King, President and CEO of Feeding Northeast Florida.

Doors open at 12:30 p.m. for arts & crafts and milk/cookies in the lobby. And get your picture taken with Santa! Showtime is 2 p.m. and the movie is 1 hour and 43 minutes long. CSX is the presenting sponsor.