With a backdrop of a massive 50-foot-high inflatable turkey, Carnival Cruise Lines presented an oversized check to Feeding South Florida representing a charitable donation that will enable the organization to provide 137,500 meals to families in need during the holidays.  The check was presented aboard the new Carnival Breeze which arrived in Miami on Thanksgiving Eve and launches year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami on Sunday.  Carnival Breeze is the largest Carnival Cruise Lines ship ever based in South Florida.

Pictured here with the check are (from left):  Feeding South Florida Board Member Benny Gonzalez and Director of Advancement and Community Investment Lisa Stoch, and Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director John Heald.

The 1,250-pound nylon turkey — decked out in a straw beach hat and colorful Hawaiian shirt — sat 14 decks above the waterline on the Carnival Breeze’s Sports Deck.  Carnival Breeze debuted this summer in Europe and brings a variety of new dining, bar and entertainment options that are part of the company’s groundbreaking $500 million Fun Ship 2.0 product-enhancement program.

Pembroke Pines–based Feeding South Florida is the largest food bank in the state and a member of Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. In 2011, Feeding South Florida distributed more than 30 million pounds of food valued at almost $50 million throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties.