The 28th Annual Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center Thanksgiving Basket Brigade will take place on Sunday, November 22 at 8:30 a.m.

The brigade will look and feel different this year to protect volunteers and clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 200 volunteer vehicles are expected to drive through Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center’s (CDTC) parking garage located at 1401 South Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale for curbside pickup of holiday meal baskets.

The volunteers will help make deliveries to 1,300 pre-registered CDTC families caring for a child with special healthcare needs. Each “basket” will provide a turkey and all the fixings to help a family in need make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

“The Thanksgiving Basket Brigade is a very special event that is near and dear to so many of our staff and volunteers,” shares CDTC Executive Director Dr. Ana Calderon Randazzo. “We are so grateful to be able to deliver holiday cheer to so many of our families who are in more need than ever this year.”

Friends and neighbors in the community can support the Thanksgiving Basket Brigade by making a $25 donation to sponsor a meal basket for a family of four. Volunteer registration opens online October 15. Pre-registration is required to participate in the brigade.

This year’s Brigade is presented by Ira and Penny Vernon who stepped in as the title sponsor of the event. “With so many families in our community in need at this time, we couldn’t imagine the possibility the event might not happen,” shares Ira, who is also a member of the CDTC Board of Directors. “When the staff announced plans to adjust the volunteer event to meet social distancing guidelines, we were proud to lend our support so the Center’s clients could receive a special holiday meal.”

To donate or sign up to volunteer visit https://childrensdiagnostic.com/basket-brigade/. Contact Jessica Vones at 954.728.1040 or jvones@browardhealth.org for other sponsorship opportunities.

About CDTC Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center (CDTC) is a not-for-profit that nearly 11,000 clients with special healthcare needs in Broward County annually. As a facility of Broward Health, CDTC’s mission is to promote the optimal health and well-being of children with special healthcare needs by providing comprehensive prevention, intervention, and treatment services. CDTC is a recognized National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) offering a unique system of care for infants, children, youth and women with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and developmental delays. For more information, visit ChildrensDiagnostic.org.