After more than 40 years, the volunteers who organize, assemble and distribute the Christmas baskets of food and other items in Othello have it down to a science.
The delivery drivers — also volunteers — traveled Saturday into the Adams County Fire District No. 5 fire station two at a time. As they rolled to a stop, the crew was ready.
Crew members swarmed over the vehicles, loading potatoes, onions, canned goods, apples, frozen foods, blankets and quilts and bags of toys. Each driver got instructions on what to leave at each house and what to do if the family wasn’t home. There were even two guys working the firehouse doors.
Once a vehicle was loaded and the driver had paperwork, the South Broadway Avenue door opened, drivers got a couple of last-minute items and went on their way. Once the bay was empty, the back door opened and two more vehicles rolled in.