Two days before Christmas, Fellowship Hall at Heidelberg Union Church was filled with boxes and bags of fresh and canned vegetables, bread and rolls, pasta and potatoes, hams and sausage.

The volunteers who were there to pack these items for pickup had a pizza dinner before starting their evening’s work.

There were 27 boxes with a list of foods to go into each box and then there were extras to fill in here and there.

Joan Hein, in charge of the project since it began around 1980, said the bread comes from Weis markets, along with many other items.

Courtney Lach said her mother, Vicki Phillips, works at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute with a program called Supply Chain Management and Logistics Technology.

A partner, First Book, delivers free books to the schools and provides extras for others from which to choose. The books are suitable for children to age 18. Two tables were piled high with books at the church.

Courtney, Joan and Carl Hein’s granddaughter, flies in from California and makes sure she is early enough to help with the food boxes. She gathers the local grandchildren to be sure they all help.

This year was the Rev. David Hess’ last time to help.

He has been there from the beginning but is retiring from his church, Holy Trinity in Slatedale and the Lutheran congregation at Heidelberg.

He and Pastor Karen Yonney were busy counting oranges and apples and bagging them to go in the boxes.

Hein said money is donated to buy meat and the food needed to complete the lists.

“We have a wonderful congregation,” she said.