Families heading to Shops at Merrick Park on Saturday can spend an afternoon enjoying music, face painting and seasonal activities while helping provide Thanksgiving meals to South Florida families in need.
The shopping center and Miami Mom Collective are hosting a free Fall Festival on Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in Merrick Park’s open-air courtyards. The event combines activities for children with a food drive benefiting Branches, a South Florida nonprofit preparing for its 26th annual Thanksgiving Meal Delivery.
Admission is free, with families encouraged to register in advance through Miami Mom Collective.
Music, face painting and family activities
The organizers have assembled an afternoon of activities designed for children of different ages.
The Magical Glowing Photo Booth will offer families a chance to capture a keepsake photograph, while DJ David of Sounds Sweet Entertainment provides music throughout the event.
Made to be Messy will host a hands-on sensory station, giving younger children opportunities to explore through play. Card My Yard will create fall-themed photo opportunities around the shopping center, and Color Boom Miami will offer children’s face painting.
Organizers also promise surprise treats during the afternoon.
The activities will unfold among the landscaped courtyards of Shops at Merrick Park, the Mediterranean-inspired retail and dining destination on Ponce de Leon Boulevard. Families can attend the festival without purchasing anything, although registration is encouraged.
A Thanksgiving food drive with a larger mission
The festival also serves as a collection point for Branches’ Thanksgiving food drive, inviting families to bring contributions for the nonprofit’s annual holiday meal-delivery program.
Organizers are requesting four specific items: instant mashed potatoes, instant stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy. Donations can be dropped off at the festival on Saturday.
Those who prefer to contribute financially can give through Branches’ Thanksgiving Meal Delivery campaign. According to the festival organizers, a $10 donation covers one meal, while $50 provides meals for a family of five.
The festival’s promotional materials describe an effort to provide more than 5,000 meals. Branches’ own campaign page sets a higher goal: preparing and delivering 6,500 meals on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, to individuals and families in need across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
That target follows a record-setting year. In 2025, Branches’ 25th annual Thanksgiving program delivered more than 6,400 meals, supported by donors, sponsors and more than 1,100 volunteers working across seven distribution sites.
The nonprofit also accepts food donations outside the festival. Its 2026 campaign lists a weekday drop-off location at 11500 NW 12th Ave. in Miami, with contributions requested by the first week of November.
Branches has served South Florida for more than 50 years
Branches traces its origins to 1973, when it was established as Miami Urban Ministries through the United Methodist Church. Over the following decades, it expanded from community assistance and advocacy into programs focused on education, financial stability and family empowerment.
The organization adopted the Branches name in 2013. A decade later, it incorporated the names of philanthropists Trish and Dan Bell into its identity in recognition of their long-standing financial support.
Today, Branches operates three family empowerment centers in Florida City, South Miami and the Lakeview neighborhood of North Miami.
Its programs include Grow for Children, which supports elementary-age students; Climb for Youth, focused on middle and high school students; and Achieve for Adults & Families, which offers financial education and related services.
The Thanksgiving meal delivery is one of the organization’s most visible community efforts, combining food assistance with volunteer participation across Miami-Dade and Broward.
A returning partnership at Merrick Park
This is not the first time Shops at Merrick Park has combined a fall celebration with support for Branches.
In October 2022, the shopping center hosted a two-day Fall Celebration and Food Drive benefiting the nonprofit. That event featured games, music, seasonal photo opportunities and a collection of nonperishable Thanksgiving foods.
This year’s festival continues the connection between a family-oriented seasonal outing and a charitable effort reaching well beyond Coral Gables.
Another family festival on Saturday
Families looking to extend their Saturday outing have another option downtown.
The Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Ave., is hosting the 10th annual Kiddo-Ween Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The celebration includes trick-or-treating, character appearances, a pumpkin patch, live entertainment, exhibitor booths and children’s activities.
General admission is free, although some individual activities may require an additional fee. Registration is available through the Kiddo-Ween event page.
The Gazette previously included the museum celebration in its guide to Coral Gables Halloween events, which also covers activities continuing through Oct. 31.
If you go…
What: Free Fall Festival and Thanksgiving food drive benefiting Branches.
When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Shops at Merrick Park, 4310 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables.
Admission: Free. Advance registration is encouraged.
What to bring: Instant mashed potatoes, instant stuffing, cranberry sauce or gravy for the Branches food drive.
Online donations: Available through Branches’ 2026 Thanksgiving campaign.
Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff
Originally established in 1996 and relaunched as a digital publication in February 2025, the Coral Gables Gazette is an independent local news organization dedicated to factual, objective and accountable community journalism. Our newsroom reports on the people, policies, institutions and events shaping Coral Gables, Florida, providing residents with timely, informative coverage of the issues affecting their community. Our reporting includes City Hall, local government, municipal elections, public spending, real estate development, business, education, arts and culture, and neighborhood affairs throughout the City Beautiful. We follow City Commission decisions, examine public records and report on the businesses, organizations and individuals contributing to Coral Gables. We believe informed residents are essential to a healthy, engaged community. Stories published under the Coral Gables Gazette News Staff byline are prepared or compiled by the publication's editorial team. We strive for accuracy, fairness, transparency and clear distinctions between news reporting, opinion and advertising. Readers are encouraged to submit news tips, corrections, editorial inquiries and story suggestions through our Contact page and learn more about our standards through our Editorial Policy.
