MARYSVILLE — In spite of gray skies, this year’s Easter Egg Hunt at Jennings Park drew an estimated 1,500 attendees April 3, who donated more than 700 pounds of food and took as many as 300 seed packets.

“We hope those seeds come back to us as food,” said JoAnn Sewell, interim co-director of the Marysville Community Food Bank. “We also received cash donations of $200. The people of Marysville are very generous.”

City of Marysville Recreation Coordinator Andrea Kingsford thanked the Marysville Rotary, Grandview Village, Steve Fulton State Farm Insurance and Loren Van Loo, Greg Jensen, Lance Curry and Steve Muller of Edward Jones for sponsoring the event, which added games such as egg-tossing and golf-putting this year.

“Rotary’s motto is service above self, but on a day like today, you get so much more out of it than you could give,” said Fulton, one of the Rotarians who volunteered at the event. “With these hard economic times, it gives people something to do right here in the community.”

At 14 months, Marysville’s Emma Yancy was a bit wary of the Easter Bunny, which her parents, Tamara and Cirt, attributed to her being “very discerning,” while 4-year-old Brea Hernandez was unafraid to hug the oversized Ivar’s “Easter Clam.” Jessica Laube brought 3-year-old son Aleczander Kendrick all the way from Granite Falls, while 8-year-old Connor Ransdell, who “really doesn’t do egg hunts,” nonetheless stopped by during his visit from Spokane.

Phil and Terry Benjamin, who brought 8-year-old daughter Sophia and 6-year-old son Marcus, agreed with fellow Marysville residents Melissa and Steven Wax, who brought 19-month-old son Morgan and 6-month-old daughter Lily, about the positive community aspect of the event.

“It’s good to bring food for the food bank, and the kids get all excited,” Phil Benjamin said.

“It’s very cool that they take the time to set out all these eggs so that the kids can have a good time,” Melissa Wax said.