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The event raised more than $42,000 in 2021.

The community food drive was originally organized by United Auto Workers Local 95. The Janesville School District took over the effort in 2008, district spokesperson Patrick Gasper said.

Janesville Superintendent Mark Holzman, who led the event Saturday, spoke before the work started, thanking volunteers, community members and others involved.

“It’s important for us to recognize the gifts that we have,” Holzman told the crowd. “And we have a great opportunity this morning to share those with some folks who might not be as fortunate as all of us.”

Holzman also took the time to thank school district staff members who have been working behind the scenes for months and some who came in early Saturday morning to help organize. He specifically thanked Denise Jensen, who coordinated the whole event and added that she “will take a deep breath around probably 2 o’clock today.”

The warehouse was filled with six tables and huge boxes of a variety of foods that were to be bagged by volunteers. Each table had a captain in a red vest who guided volunteers.

“This is not a race,” Holzman said. “We definitely want to have some fun, and make sure that we put the right items in the bags.”

One table filled bags with tomato and chicken noodle soup, tuna, egg noodles, and saltine crackers. Another table’s bags held apple juice, Chex cereal, stuffing, pasta and cornbread mix.

Volunteers of all ages showed up to help. A group of high school-aged boys were in charge of placing finished bags in their proper piles. They made a line where they would pass the bag down until the last boy placed it in the right spot.

And some volunteers were in charge of their own stations. One woman, for instance, placed all the saltine crackers in bags.

Gasper, who is in his seventh year of participating, said the event draws lots of spirited and animated volunteers. Some sign up in advance while others just show up to help on the day of the event.

In the end, it took volunteers about an hour to pack the bags. They were then loaded into buses, trucks and other vehicles to be driven to recipients.

“I just want to say thank you to all of you who are giving up some of your time this morning and trying to spread some joy to families in our community,” Holzman said. “I hope that the people who receive the gifts today have the same amount of joy and positive spirit in their lives.”