Volunteers for a local food bank are working overtime to ensure needy families will not have to have to celebrate Thanksgiving with empty stomachs.

The Parker Task Force for Human Services Charitable Trust, or Parker Food Bank for short, is thankful for the town's continuing support.

Thanks to that support, the food bank was able to provide 222 dinners to client families this Thanksgiving, said Clark Hastings, Parker Task Force co-chair.

Hastings said a total of 157 client families received a Thanksgiving dinner this year. Of those client families, Hastings said about 60 percent came into the food bank Nov. 19 to pick up food baskets filled with unprepared Thanksgiving food items and about 40 percent picked up prepared meals from local grocery stores Nov. 20 and 21. Approximately 125 families turned out for the "Thanksgiving food project" last year.

Diane Roth, food bank volunteer and Thanksgiving food project coordinator, said the community has been very generous in supporting the food bank in two ways: by donating baskets of Thanksgiving food that client families could prepare themselves and by giving monetary donations so that client families could pick up prepared Thanksgiving meals at local grocery store delis.

"We are getting tremendous support from the community," Roth said. "I am amazed at the support and the generosity of churches, clubs and organizations and many individuals."

Roth said she left "corporate America" in 2004 to become a lobbyist in the legislative courthouse. She said she has been volunteering with the food bank since 2004, except for the legislative months of January through May. Roth said she normally volunteers by interviewing clients.

"Taking on the Thanksgiving project was an additional job," she said. "I want to thank the community for being so generous. I know the client families very much appreciate it."

The food bank was started in 1987 and will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in February. Hastings, who has been with the food bank since 2000, said the food bank is "trying to prevent homelessness."

In addition to food and other groceries, the food bank provides clients in Parker, Elizabeth and Franktown with help paying utility bills, year-round school supplies and help getting jobs.

"We encourage people to shop at the food bank and use the money they would have spent on groceries to help pay their bills," Hastings said. "If someone is going to lose their heat or water, we'll be able to keep that on."

Hastings said the food bank will provide help to anyone in the Parker, Elizabeth and Franktown areas who needs it.

"All you have to do is have the need," Hastings said. "We don't care - if you need help, come to us."

The nonprofit food bank is run entirely by volunteers, Hastings said. The town of Parker completely funds the food bank, he said, with the exception of the organization's Web site and phone bill. In fact, Hastings said 80 percent of the food bank's food comes from their food drives, which are held every third Saturday of the month, year round, in front of area King Soopers and Safeway stores. In December, food drives are held on the second Saturday to compensate for the holidays.

"Those corporations are great sponsors of the food bank," Hastings said of the area grocery stores.

The food bank's next holiday program will be Adopt-a-Family, where volunteers buy each client family member a present for under $20, Hastings said. The food bank will begin collecting the items Dec. 13 and organize them Dec. 14, 15 and 16. Clients will pick up the gifts Dec. 17.

Hastings' wife, Jan, is the food bank grant coordinator. The food bank also is co-chaired by Rick Sonthemier, who is a board member of the Parker Fire Safety District.

For more information about the food bank or to provide cash donations, call 303-841-3460 or visit their Web site at www.parkertaskforce.org.

Click here to find out how local churches will celebrate the holidays.