Oxford sisters set sights on collecting 4 tons of food for annual fall drive

Two sisters from Oxford, Michigan, are doing their part to make sure everyone in Southeast Michigan has an amazing Thanksgiving.

For the past seven years, Hazel Nicosia, 11, and Alice Nicosia, 9, have hosted a food drive known as Little Friendsgiving.

"Our goal is just to, like, get as much as we can and really just to help people," Hazel Nicosia said.

The event started when, at 4 years old, Hazel Nicosia saw a homeless man and asked her parents how she could help.

"I'm like, Mom, can we give him this food? But he was like 30 minutes away. So my mom's like, um, maybe instead we can, like, find an organization to go and help and donate to," she said.

The donations are sent to Lighthouse of Michigan, an organization that serves more than 150,000 people through its food program.

"I like helping out people, cuz every once in a while, some people need help," Alice Nicosia said.

Their parents say it warms their heart to see the girls so eager to help.

"I always think like, okay, are they going to want to do it this year? And as soon as the leaves start turning, they're asking, like, when are we doing the food drive?" Holly Nicosia, their mother, said.

"I think it's really great to see these children starting to learn how to give and to exercise those muscles for people that need it, and to be giving to such a great organization," Jacob Nicosia said.

It's become a community effort. The girls rally their friends at school to join and deliver boxes to small local businesses to collect food.

"It's crazy because I remember when we first started, we were just using, like, my dad's car, and it's got so big that we're using, like, the big lighthouse truck," Hazel Nicosia said.

After beating last year's three-ton goal, they've set sights on collecting four tons of food.

"I would hate to be in a situation where there wasn't somebody there to help me. So, as long as we're able to do it, we'll do it," Holly Nicosia said.

Volunteers loaded the Lighthouse of Michigan semitruck on Sunday. Soon, the food will be in the homes of those who need it most.

"It makes me feel good because I know everything's, like, you know, expensive and everyone can't really afford things right now," Hazel Nicosia said.