OTHELLO — The first cars leave the Othello Fire Hall about 8 a.m., delivering food, toys and Christmas cheer to needy families in Othello, a tradition that’s 40 years old. The Othello Community Christmas Basket program started with a few guys talking at the Eagles Lodge, and has expanded to include most of Othello.

“Every year I am in awe at the way the community comes together. It is just amazing,” said Merritt Johnson, who’s been one of the organizers for the whole 40 years. Baskets are distributed the Saturday before Christmas except when Christmas is on a weekend. Baskets were distributed Dec. 17.

Any food and other items left over are donated to the Othello Food Bank and the “Helping Hands” project at the Othello Church of the Nazarene.

Baskets are distributed by a referral process, one basket per family, and Johnson said the number of families referred was down this year. But donations of food and money were down too. “Been a rough year” in the community, he said. As of Wednesday organizers expected to distributed about 300 baskets.

The Christmas Basket project involves almost everybody in Othello – schools, businesses, clubs, churches, and individuals who raise money and conduct food drives, buy toys and gifts and whatever else might be needed.

McFarland Junior High students hold a canned food drive. Othello Community Hospital, Othello City Hall, Columbia Basin Community Health, local fruit warehouses, local vegetable processors, downtown businesses – they all have their yearly projects. Church groups make quilts – a whole shelf was filled with handmade quilts for 2016 – and youth groups conduct food drives.

School district staff sponsor a volleyball game, the Christmas Basket Challenge, with proceeds to the Christmas basket project. “We furnish (the winners) with a trophy and they have bragging rights every year,” Johnson said.

The Othello Fire Department donates space to house the donations and volunteers set up shelves to organize it all. The baskets are assembled by volunteers Saturday morning and delivered by other volunteers. “The first load goes out at eight o’clock,” Johnson said.

The fire department sponsors distribution day breakfast and then the work begins. Volunteers load the boxes with canned foods, fresh apples and oranges, fresh potatoes and onions, ham, flour and sugar, bread, toys, clothing, blankets and whatever Othello residents have donated. “You think, ’Oh, how can we do it,’ but it does come together,” he said.

The project started at Christmas 1976, with a conversation between six men down at the Eagles. They had heard of families around town in need, and they kicked in about $20 each to buy food for the families, Johnson remembered in an earlier interview.

They kept going the next year, and over time the Moose Lodge got involved too, and the fire department. The effort grew so big it overwhelmed the sponsoring organizations, and a separate non-profit organization was established.

Donations are accepted throughout the year; Johnson said he and his wife go shopping for toys in January, during the post-holiday sales. Donation accounts have been set up at the Othello branches of Columbia Bank and U.S. Bank. People who want to donate can contact Merritt Johnson, 509-488-2471, or Ken Johnson, 509-488-5088.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].