MARYSVILLE — Gratitude was the prevailing emotion at the new facility for the Marysville Food Bank Dec. 3, when the Food Bank received their latest donations from the Marysville Rotary and Soroptimist chapters.

As the Marysville Noon Rotary met for lunch at the Food Bank’s new building, at 4200 88th St. NE, Food Bank Director Joyce Ziegen and President Mike Mulligan expressed their appreciation to those in attendance for helping the Food Bank realize a five-year dream.

“We had at least 100 people standing in line Tuesday, getting soaked,” said Ziegen, who received a check for $1,250 from the Rotary, and another for $1,000 from the Soroptimists, Dec. 3. “They’re waiting in cold, long lines this season. When we’ve received funds from Rotary, they’ve said, ‘We’re sorry that we can’t fund you more,’ which is overwhelming to me. I want to thank each and every one of you.”

Among those whom Ziegen singled out for praise were Marysville YMCA Executive Director Wendy Bart, for helping the Food bank obtain its initial grants for its new accommodations, and Rotarian Steve Fulton, whom she described as “a real go-getter,” who not only came up with the idea for the upcoming Dec. 16 fundraising gala for the Food Bank, but has already filled 13 tables for the event.

Ziegen also credited Fulton with writing a $6,000 check to the Food Bank, and likewise honored the Jubie family for pitching in an estimated $30,000, and the Rotary for raising roughly $100,000 in total, which represents 10 percent of the Food Bank’s annual costs.

“We literally couldn’t do this without your support,” said Ziegen, who noted that the Mulligan family founded the Marysville Food Bank close to three decades ago, and have overseen its operations ever since. “JoAnn and Mike [Mulligan] have volunteered hundreds of hours. This community is amazing. People are hurting, but they’re still giving. One person gave us $80 recently, because they’d been homeless last year and we’d helped them out.”

Ziegen and Mulligan explained how the Food Bank’s new facility represents an upgrade from its current building. Mulligan pointed out its increase in space, from 3,400 square feet to 5,600 square feet, while Ziegen touted the more customer-convenient setup of that space.

“With the size of our awning, it should be rare that our customers have to stand in the rain,” said Ziegen, who also mentioned the handicapped-accessible client intake area. “Instead of us picking out food items for our clients, they’ll be able to grab shopping carts and, under escort, pick out what they want for themselves. Everyone has different tastes. Not only does this empower our clients, but it also saves us money, because they’ll only be taking what they want.”

A donation of $20,000 from Fred Meyer will help bring a walk-in freezer and refrigerator to the facility, and the neighboring St. Mary’s Church has donated both the land and its parking for the new Food Bank building, which Mulligan explained would have been “our biggest hurdle” otherwise. As such, the Food Bank has adjusted its hours to match those of the church, which means that, in 2009, the Food Bank will be open Tuesdays from 3-6 p.m. and Fridays from 9-11 a.m.

Ziegen hopes the new hours will help attract more volunteers, especially from the church and local schools. According to her, the Food Bank currently serves between 100-150 families each on Tuesdays and Saturdays, for an average total of 1,100 families a month, not counting individuals without families. This adds up to no less than 1,400 volunteer hours per month, even before the current economic downturn.

“We were shocked at our increase in clients in August,” Ziegen said. “This November, we served 1,500 families.”

In order to make their move, the Food Bank will not be able to serve any families from Dec. 24 through Jan. 4, but they will stage a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at their new location Jan. 5 at 1 p.m.

In the meantime, this new Food Bank building, at 4200 88th St. NE, will be initiated with a grand gala affair from 5-9 p.m. Dec. 16, where community groups, families and friends are invited to join in fundraising for the Food Bank.

Fulton, as the organizer of the event, explained that the Marysville Food Bank Christmas Gala will feature an assortment of hors d’oeuvres by Moveable Feast Catering, and live music by the International School of Communications Choir from Marysville-Pilchuck High School. Fulton, who works for State Farm Insurance, came up with the idea while he was planning his own office party.

“We decided it would be a great way to use the fantastic new building, before its scheduled opening Jan. 5,” said Fulton, who added that the Soroptimists will be decorating the space lavishly and appropriately for an “intimate holiday evening.”

Admission is $25 per person or $250 per table, with each table seating between eight and 12, since it’s not a sit-down dinner. For reservations, call 360-653-4557.

Sarah Arney contributed to this report.