MARYSVILLE — The Marysville Community Food Bank is accommodating so many clients this year that it has divided up the distribution of its holiday baskets in alphabetical order, according to its clients’ last names.

Distribution for Thanksgiving baskets was split up into two days, Nov. 20 and 24, to limit the sizes of what were already expected to be long lines, and distribution for Christmas baskets will be split up the same way on Dec. 18 and 22.

“We’re a lot busier than we were this time last year,” Marysville Community Food Bank Director Joyce Zeigen said. “We have a lot of first-time unemployed clients for whom the Food Bank is brand new territory.”

Pre-boxed holiday basket meal ingredients include milk, cranberry sauce, yams and sweet potatoes, peanut butter, pancake mix, syrup, flour and stuffing. Clients shop for canned fruits and vegetables, soup and dessert mixes of their choice. The Food Bank’s dairy counter offers eggs and margarine for the holiday baskets, while Northwest Harvest supplies the turkey trays.

Zeigen expects to serve Thanksgiving baskets to up to 1,200 area families in need, and anticipates at least as many families will need Christmas baskets, which means that the Food Bank will need all the same food supplies for its remaining holidays.

“We also need volunteers during the holiday basket distribution hours,” said Zeigen on Nov. 20, while a crew of approximately 40 volunteers helped clients pick out meal ingredients and sorted through the food items.

Shirley Glenn and Gloria Kuether took the time to make sure produce was fresh and undamaged, while Jennifer Kradenpoth and Monica Gomez guided clients’ shopping carts through each of the food stations. Samuel and Micah Caceres are home-schooled by their mom, Katrina, so they’ve been able to volunteer at the Food Bank twice a week for the past month.

“Have you ever seen so much food?” asked area resident Ken Harmer, who’s volunteered at the Food Bank for three years. “One thing you can say about Marysville is that they’re givers. This is the most organized food bank I’ve ever worked at.”