Nonprofit Doubles Its Thanksgiving Fixings

Two thousand and four hundred cans of pumpkin pie filling, packages of brown gravy and mashed potato mixes and boxes of stuffing are among the food items that will be distributed Tuesday to 200 local military families in need of Thanksgiving dinners.

Marines from the 1st Light Armored Recon Battalion loaded the traditional fixings into pickup trucks Wednesday at the Walmart in San Clemente to be bagged this weekend by volunteers with , a San Juan Capistrano-based nonprofit.

On Tuesday, the volunteers will depart at 8 a.m. to deliver the supplies to families stationed at Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Point Loma, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Camp Pendleton.

Homefront America was able to double the number of families it supports this Thanksgiving.

"This year we've been able to increase our outreach. People are just stepping up to help," said co-founder Mamie Yong Maywhort.

Do you know of any organizations helping local families this holiday season? E-mail Jenna Chandler at Jenna.chandler@patch.com, or post a comment below this article.