FARMINGTON —  Through the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, 100 families in need were served by the Gerry Wiles Holiday Food Basket Program, due to the generosity of local individuals and businesses. The drive was named for local resident, Gerry Wiles, who died in October 2010.

Tammy Hutchinson, chamber board member and general manager of Comfort Inn & Suites in Wilton, chaired the program this year. On Dec. 13, she and her staff loaded up the boxed holiday meals from three local chamber member grocers: Hannaford Farmington, Tranten’s Market and Farmington Walmart.

The boxes included a turkey with all the trimmings and dessert for a family of four. The majority of the food baskets were picked up by local food pantries that afternoon and were distributed to families in need. Requests for baskets were also submitted by local service agencies or members of the public.

In addition to the meals, the chamber sent donated food or money not incorporated into the baskets to the local area food pantries to help them meet the season’s demand.

“It is truly an honor to work for an organization that is committed to reaching out and helping those in need in our local community. It was a joy to see tremendous support and generous donations pour in from both residents of Franklin County and chamber member businesses”, said Erin Arthers, chamber executive director.