By Robin GOLDSWORTHY

About 160 foothills families will be having a merrier holiday season with the delivery of food and toys to those in need.

The delivery on Saturday morning was the culmination of weeks of collecting goods in barrels distributed throughout town by the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Department for its annual food and toy drive. According to Joanne Berg, who heads up the volunteers for the CV Sheriff’s Station, the event is truly a group effort.

“The entire station helps out,” Berg said. “Search and Rescue, reserves, Explorers, sworn personnel and even the captain help to deliver.”

Berg said that giving this year – the 23rd she estimates – started out slow, but once it got going people were generous.

“Every need was filled,” she said, though she noted that there is always a shortage of items for teenagers.

Jerry Mundy is one of the volunteers who helped sort and deliver the goods. He said that he’s been part of the event for the last seven or eight years and it is a fulfilling experience.

“We get a wonderful response when [families] open their door to us,” he said. “We had a lady with eight kids plus she was pregnant. She was living in a tent in someone’s backyard. She was so glad to see us.” Each family gets food and toys plus a gift card for a grocery store. Most of the time it’s teachers and others in the school system that submit names of those in need.

The collection barrels were set up around town at Thanksgiving with items being collected and sorted over the last few weeks.

Berg invited folks to still contribute though the major push of deliveries is past. “Even though it’s late, it’s still welcome,” she said.