Hundreds of families in Westport and beyond will have a proper holiday dinner this year thanks to the Westport Food Pantry, which on Tuesday handed out 215 holiday bags from its headquarters at the Westport Grange.

The bags included a choice of frozen meat, gift cards to buy the fixings, and Christmas cookies.

Tuesday's distribution caps what was the busiest year ever for the pantry. As of Tuesday, the non-profit had distributed 7,288 bags of food over the course of the year. Volunteers track distributions and this year served 233 unique seniors, 456 adults and 256 children.

The pantry was created by the Town of Westport in 2020, as a temporary food pantry in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now its own 501(c)3 tax exempt charity and distributes food on a weekly basis.

Volunteers typically distribute food on Mondays from 9:30am to 11am. When a federal holiday falls on a Monday, distribution takes place the next day.

Food and toiletry donations can be dropped off in the donation box in front of the Westport Food Pantry, 931 Main Road, any time. Or you can drop them off in person Tuesday through Thursday from 9 to 11 am. Monetary donations can be made on the www.westportfoodpantry.org website or by mailing a check to Westport Food Pantry P.O. Box 3303, Westport, Ma 02790.

www.westportfoodpantry.org