The holiday season got a little brighter for Greene County families that are in need this time of year.

On Saturday Greene County Adopt-A-Family and other volunteers passed out holiday food baskets to 160 families at Clover Hall on the Greene County Fairgrounds. Long-time organizer Sherry Graven says they collect donations all year long to give away food to families during winter break from school, along with winter clothing and back to school supplies. She points out the donations were really needed this year with food prices constantly on the raise.

Graven told Raccoon Valley Radio that the volunteers are part of what makes the holiday food baskets program such a success every year.

“I have such great volunteers. My poor husband has to put up with a lot from me and he’s probably my top, top guy. The board members from Adopt-A-Family also help, and then I just have people that just want to help, (including) my friends, family, some people that I don’t even know. There’s a teacher here that drove from Ames to help because she was supposed to help with the kids. The county is wonderful. We have great volunteers and we have such a generous, generous community. It’s just wonderful.”

Graven is always looking for more donations and those can be dropped off at P.O. Box 364, Jefferson, Iowa 50129 or at the Greene County Engineer’s office inside the Greene County Courthouse.