Heavenly Mountain Resort completed its “Fill the Barrels” food drive on Dec. 22, with employees and guests filling six barrels to the brim with food donations for Christmas Cheer, St. Theresa Church and Sierra Community Church. After the food was collected, the resort matched the donations with $650 in nonperishable items.

“These tough economic times are even tougher on our local charities and food banks – they get the double-whammy of fewer donations and more need,” said Les Marsh, Heavenly’s vice-president of human resources.

“It says a lot about the generosity of Heavenly’s employees that we were able to donate so much during such an important time,” Marsh added. “Thanks to everyone who contributed. Now we’ve got a benchmark to beat for next season.”