SPANISH FORT, Ala. — In a matter of days, tables will be set, families will gather and thanks will be given for blessings large and small.

An estimated 1,500 Baldwin County families will set those tables thanks, in large part, to the volunteer efforts of the Spanish Fort-based Prodisee Pantry.

Deann Servos, the pantry’s executive director, said about 1,000 Baldwin County families had received assistance from the emergency food and assistance agency in the first three weeks of November. With the holidays bearing down on those struggling to make ends meet, she expects at least 500 more to walk through the doors.

“I think people in the community are really starting to realize that we’re coming up on the holidays, and that adds up to helping a lot of folks,” Servos said.

Pantry volunteer Russ Bailey said 2010 has been a particularly hard year for local residents reeling from economic hardship, and that’s what keeps him returning Tuesday after Tuesday to The Gathering Place in Spanish Fort.

Bailey and fellow volunteer, Bob Gardner, help families to their vehicles each week with their offerings, pushing shopping carts filled to the brim with staple groceries and — when possible — few seasonal treats.

“Some of the stuff we had this summer — the fresh fruits and vegetables people were so willing to share — you could barely pick up and put it in the cars. That’s what it’s like at the holidays,” Gardner said.

And in the nearly two years he’s been volunteering, Bailey said the demand for services always spikes during the holidays.

“We see a lot of the same faces from month to month, and you recognize them, and you know what their needs are,” he said. “But we also see a lot of new faces at the holidays, people who have a lot of anticipation because they want to have a good Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner for their families, and they don’t have the means to provide it.”

Gardner said that at age 78 he’s a little tired, and “the boxes are getting kind of heavy,” but nothing could keep him from his Tuesday ritual.

“I’m a bag boy just like in the old days, and I love it,” he said, noting his one wish beyond more volunteers is for “a better economy, so these people don’t have to do this.”

Bailey said the opportunity to give back to people in need is what keeps him coming back week after week.

“It’s one of those volunteer activities where you can see — and feel — the proof of its success immediately,” he said.

But Servos reminded the community-at-large that while Thanksgiving might be in the forefront at the moment, the pantry’s needs won’t simply disappear Nov. 26 because turkey and dressing hit tables across the county Nov. 25.

“This is an ongoing program. Yes we like to give a little extra during the holidays, but it’s been a terrible year for a lot of people for a lot of different reasons. It’s going to take a long time for some of these families to get back on their feet, and we want to be here for them every step of the way,” Servos said.