More than 1,000 local families were served Wednesday during the Operation Happiness Day of Giving, according to Clark County Community Services Executive Director Debbie Fatkin.

Fatkin said about, 1,100 food boxes were distributed Wednesday, and more will be distributed today.

Families receive a food basket with turkey and all the trimmings along with some pantry staples and coats each Christmas.

The mission of Operation Happiness is to “share the love and compassion of Christ through a food-basket program.”

“We have 1,123 people sign up, and we give more boxes to larger families,” Fatkin said. “What’s left over of the 1,300 boxes we had will be distributed in bulk today to place like Brown Proctor Apartment, Phoenix House, Beverly White Towers and the homeless shelters.”

Included in the families served were about 800 children who have warm Christmas dinner on the table thanks to generous donations from the community, Fatkin said.

Many of the families are single people who live alone, including many elderly, handicapped or disabled individuals, she said.

Fatkin is about $2,000 shy of enough donations to cover the entire cost of the outreach mission this year. Community Services will still accept donations towards the cause.

Fatkin said most of the donations come individuals in the community.

“Most of what we get are $25 donations from individuals,” she said. “More than businesses, more than churches, we get more from individual people. That says a lot about our community and how much they care.”

It took 300 volunteers to pull off the Day of Giving this year.