By Tim Gearhart

For The Ironton Tribune

RACELAND, Ky. — The Kiwanis Club of East Greenup County and its Key Clubs at Raceland-Worthington and Russell high schools completed delivery Saturday of 55 Thanksgiving food baskets.

It was the 27th consecutive year for the project.

Kiwanis president Joshua Joseph said 25 baskets were delivered in the Greenup County school district, while 15 each were given to families in the Raceland-Worthington and Russell districts. The club works with the Family Resource Centers in the three school districts to identify familes who need help.

Food items in the baskets included cans of green beans and corn, fruit cocktail, instant potatoes, baking mix, corn muffin mix, boxed macaroni and cheese, vegetable oil, cranberry sauce, jello, and peanut butter and jelly.

Kiwanis members, along with their Key Club families provide all of those items, then the Kiwanis Club provides a boneless half ham, bread and a dessert.

Items in the baskets, including the ham and dessert, cost an estimated $3,325, up 11 percent from last year. Over the 27 year history of the project, launched in 1995, the baskets have assisted 1,435 families at an estimated cost of $53,575.

The Key Club members at Russell and Raceland check all the baskets to make sure they contain everything families will need for their Thanksgiving meal.

The baskets were distributed Saturday morning from McDowell Intermediate school in Russell, Raceland-Worthington High School in Raceland and McKell Middle School in South Shore.

The idea for the project originated with the Key Club at Raceland in 1995. That year 15 baskets were delivered. Since then the numbers have grown and reached 55 the past three years.