Boca Raton Teen Gathers More Than 1,500 Pounds of Food for Helping Hands

Laura Arbelaez Correa has collected more than 1,500 pounds of food for Boca Helping Hands. (Photo: BHH)

A Boca Raton teen has gathered more than 1,500 pounds of food for the Boca Helping Hands organization as part of her Eagle Scout project, which involved both the collections as well as developing a new program to gather items for those in need.

Laura Arbelaez Correa, a Boca Raton resident and dual-enrolled senior at FAU High School, donated 1,539 pounds of food to Boca Helping Hands after running a food drive at A.D. Henderson School and another in the Boca Vista neighborhood. Correa is working to become an Eagle Scout and her Eagle project consisted of both food drives and the construction of four 4-by-4 foot food collection crates that can be used by communities wishing to donate.

“I think Boca Helping Hands is a wonderful organization, so I chose this project because I wanted to be a part of their effort to do good in the community,” she said. “I am scheduled to complete my final Eagle board in early November, so that is when I will be awarded the title of Eagle Scout.”

Laura Arbelaez Correa has collected more than 1,500 pounds of food for Boca Helping Hands. (Photo: BHH)

“This was a phenomenal amount of food for one student to bring in,” said Andrew Hagen, Executive Director of Boca Helping Hands said. “We are so appreciative of Laura’s efforts.”

Boca Helping Hands has said in recent months that its food pantry has run low due to government spending cuts as well as national trends. In 2024, BHH served over 64,000 hot meals and distributed more than 112,000 pantry bags across Palm Beach County. The organization also helps children in need through its Backpacks Program, sending weekend meals home with students at 15 local schools, “because no child should go hungry when school is out,” Hagen said.