MARYSVILLE — City of Marysville employees recently collected 5,519 food items and nearly 300 toys for families in need during the holidays, along with $3,583 to purchase yet more food and toys for the Marysville Community Food Bank.

In a head-to-head clash of city departments, only one could become champion (of those in need) in the city’s Holiday Food and Toy Bowl, and that title went to the team of Streets and Surface Water divisions in Public Works. Their employees raised the most food items — 1,391 or about 70 items per employee — while the combined team of Parks and Recreation and the Cedarcrest Golf Course collected the most toys — 118 — according to city Public Works Administrative Services Manager Tonya Miranda, who tracked donations on behalf of the city Wellness Committee that coordinated the challenge. The winners were based on the per-employee totals for their teams.

The trophy-winning team was announced at the annual Employee Holiday Luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 15, at the Ken Baxter Community Center, where Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring commended the employees for their outstanding job.

“I would like to express my deep appreciation to all who participated,” Nehring said. “At this time of year, city employees’ efforts to give back to the community they serve is greatly appreciated. The competition was a lot of fun for a good cause.”