The Thanksgiving spirit was in full swing in Hells Kitchen at FeedingNYC’s biggest event of the year as 600 volunteers packed and delivered 9,000 Thanksgiving dinners for families in need.

Leonardo LoCascio, who is 5 1/2 years old, was one of the littlest volunteers.

“I come here for joy, and I also come here to help other families and I come here to help the world,” he told News 12 New York.

The altruistic apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Leonardo is the son of organizer Rob LoCascio, who runs FeedingNYC. He says he has been delivering Thanksgiving meals in the city since 2001. He was inspired to give back after 9/11.

“We, a lot of times, make judgments of people because they live in a shelter or they’re on the street, and when you look somebody in the eye and say, ‘Happy Thanksgiving,’ there’s like a magic that happens in your heart,” LoCascio said. “There’s a lot of love in that box – you can see it inside, you can see it here, and you can see it when we get to the families.”

Some of those families include newly arrived migrants. Former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is now president and CEO of WIN – an organization that helps homeless women. Thousands of her clients – including recent arrivals to New York City – will be receiving the meals.

“Migrants come from countries where Thanksgiving isn’t a tradition, of course it’s an American tradition,” Quinn told News 12 New York.  “But by getting these meals and being able to cook for their families in the win shelters, it’s a message: you’re a New Yorker, you’re soon to be an American and we want you to have and to be part of everything we are a part of,” she said.

LoCascio says each box costs $35 to put together and can feed up to a family of eight.  To find out how you can donate, you can head to FeedingNYC.org.