The employees of the city of Bonney Lake and several other groups around town rallied in the days before Thanksgiving to ensure that residents in need would have something to eat this holiday season.

According to Food Bank Executive Director Stew Bowen, the donations from the city helped spark a “giving frenzy” that he said “saved us this holiday.”

“We were able to cover all of our families,” Bowen said Friday.

In total, more than 550 families received assistance this year from the Bonney Lake Food Bank.

“That’s a lot of families,” Bowen said.

Bowen cited donations from city employees as well as those that came in after an email request from the Prairie Ridge Maintenance Company and from teachers in the White River and Sumner School Districts as being critical to feeding everyone this year.

In total, city employees donated more than $1,800 to the Bonney Lake Food Bank for the purchase of turkeys and fixins, as well as six turkeys and several bags of food.

The money was collected in less than 48 hours and bought more than 200 turkeys.

Among the donations was $500 in coins donated by public works, as well as additional donations from the works crew and Public Works Director Dan Grigsby. Other large donations came in from Police Chief Mike Mitchell and the Bonney Lake Police Guild.

Bowen also received a large donation from the Bonney Lake Senior Center, which hosted a food drive before their Nov. 19 Thanksgiving Dinner.

Bowen said the donations were especially important this year because the food bank’s shelves were nearly bare in the weeks leading up to the holiday.

And though Thanksgiving may be past, Bowen said the Food Bank is still in need of donations to ensure that the families will receive the other traditional meals provided this time of year.

“The next step is Christmas,” Bowen said.

The Bonney Lake Food Bank is located at 18409 Sumner-Buckley Highway East. For more information, call 253-863-4043. The city will also be hosting a food drive during the annual tree lighting ceremony, scheduled for Dec. 4 at the Public Safety Building.