Mystic — During last Friday’s annual Festival of Lights at Olde Mistick Village, Mystic Aquarium collected more than 4 ½ tons of non-perishable food for the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center in New London.

All those who donated a food item received free admission to the aquarium that evening.

The aquarium said a record number of guests, 7,259, visited the aquarium that night and donated 9,168 pounds of food and $517 in cash for the food center.

“Thanks to the generosity of our guests on Friday night, the donation was equal to the weight of four and a half beluga whales,” said Ainslie Seeber, the aquarium's event and partnership manager in announcing the donations. “That is by far a new record for us. We are so grateful and very excited.”

Sea Scouts collected and sorted the food in preparation for delivery by Mystic Transportation, which donated the use of the truck to take the food to New London.