The Oskaloosa Rotary Club is devoting time to a charitable cause and it needs your help. Since taking over the annual Christmas Food Basket program in 2010, the group has seen an increase in the number of residents who need baskets each year.

Last year alone in its third decade of the program Mahaska County Rotary and its partners provided almost 600 families with baskets that fed more than 1,800 people. According to Rotary Committee Chair, Andy Glover, last year's entire grocery bill of roughly $15,000 dollar was paid for by donations. And this year the cash register receipt could be even longer.

"One of our issues is that we never know exactly how much money we are going to need to raise because we don't know how much need there is going to be. It has grown the last couple of years and if it continues to do that, well why then we need to increase our fundraising efforts."

The groceries are bought and baskets are assembled the day before the distribution day - Saturday, December 15th. There are three basket sizes available depending on the number of people in a family.

"It's literally thousands of components and ingredients. Can goods, packaged goods, hams in the food baskets, milke, and bread, and fresh produce, and other things as well. So its quite a grocery trip us, to go to the story and buy all that stuff."

Starting this week the Rotary Club has already received more than 225 applications for the Christmas Food Baskets program and that number is increasing. Applicants must meet income based requirements and all applications must be postmarked by next Monday, November 26th. Applications are available in the Oskaloosa Shopper and the Herald. If you have any questions about donations or other information contact Andy Glover by email or phone.