In what has become a yearly South Florida tradition for decades, thousands of people waited in line for the chance to get what equates to a “golden ticket” for the holiday season.
CAMACOL, the largest Hispanic chamber of commerce group in South Florida, will be handing out their annual Holiday Season Tickets to the first 3,000 people waiting in line at the location off West Flagler Street and 14th Avenue on Wednesday morning.
Tickets are handed out on a first come, first serve basis and enable the holder to come back on December 14th to get a basket full of items for a Christmas meal. The giveaway started in 1987 and has fed thousands in the South Florida community.
"My family going to really enjoy every item they're going to give us and that helps out because the past four years, the economy being very tough," said Juanita Alvarez, who has been lining up for the last 10 years.
Many people have been waiting in line for days - and in some cases, weeks, to get the ticket. One ticket is handed out per person / family and those in line must have a valid ID card as well as a social security card.
The baskets contain food donated from area merchants and supermarkets like Publix and Winn Dixie. Each basket is valued at $150 and can feed six people.
"They've come to almost depend on us to have a good feast for Christmas and we're just honored to be a part of it, said Robert Gutierrez, Vice President of CAMACOL.
