On top of the food, which Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Post 3357 President Jennifer Mott said she will bring to the Saranac Lake Interfaith Food Pantry this week, members raised $826 in cash for the pantry, too.

Scott Smith, the treasurer of the Saranac Lake Interfaith Food Pantry, said he and the rest of the organization were thankful for the large-scale donation drive around the holidays.

The food was collected in drop-off boxes at Romano’s Saranac Lanes, Ray Brook Brewery, Community Bank, Coakley Home and Hardware and at the VFW club over the past few weeks.

Mott said this work also starts a matching grant from the VFW national foundation’s Uniting to Combat Hunger program. The national VFW matches each donation made through the Auxiliary — $1 per $1 donated and $1 per every pound of food. Mott said they are expecting $1,226 from VFW National, which she said the auxiliary will use to help other local programs and pantries.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Post 3357 members Marie-Aymee Fisk, left, and Cheri Fisher stuff holiday cheer bags full of essentials and goodies at the VFW Club in Saranac Lake on Tuesday. These bags will be delivered to local congregated living centers for rehabilitation and retirement next week. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

Tuesday night, auxiliary members went upstairs in the building, where they formed an assembly line, packing holiday cheer bags full of essentials — books, cookies, candies, soap, toothbrushes, puzzle books, decks of cards.

Next week, auxiliary members will drive these bags all around the region to local congregate living centers for rehabilitation or retirement — St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment and Recovery Centers in Saranac Lake, Elderwood of Uihlein at Lake Placid, Mercy Living Center in Tupper Lake and the Saranac Village at Will Rogers in Saranac Lake.

Mott said she plans to start construction on a “Little Free Panty” at the VFW to hold food donations, funded with VFW grant money, next year.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Post 3357 member Barbara Skiff stuffs holiday cheer bags full of essentials and goodies at the VFW Club in Saranac Lake on Tuesday. These bags will be delivered to local congregated living centers for rehabilitation and retirement next week. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)