SPANISH FORT, Ala.—With one final distribution day before Christmas, Prodisee Pantry has already helped nearly 600 Baldwin County families in December.

Deann Servos, the emergency food pantry’s executive director, said volunteers have been working almost around the clock since the beginning of November to ensure local families don’t go without food during the holiday season.

In fact, a total of 1,218 families were provided traditional Thanksgiving trimmings in November, and Servos said pantry elves are standing by to assist probably another 400 families on Tuesday, alone.

“It’s a good sign,” she said that the figure appears to be falling well within the anticipated 1,200 to 1,500-range for the month of December.

“We’ve really coordinated our efforts this year and are working with churches and agencies across the county to be sure we’re truly reaching the families that need help this year. If we can cut down on duplication of services, we can actually spread our resources farther.”

Of course, families suffering financially from a sustained economic downturn and the lasting effects of the BP oil spill won’t just magically recover their footing when the holidays pass, Servos said.

“We usually serve twice as many people in November and December each year as we do in an regular month, so our shelves are really thinning out,” she said, noting the first three months of every new year tend to be the nonprofit’s leanest quarter.

That’s also why Servos wants to thank every single person who’s lent a hand providing sustenance and support to people across Baldwin Country struggling to make ends meet in 2010.

“We don’t ever really get to say thank you to our donors and supporters, but we would never be able to meet this need without them, and they need to know exactly how much we appreciate their contributions,” she said.

Prodisee Pantry distributes assistance toBaldwin County families every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at The Gathering Place in Spanish Fort.