Groton — A steady flow of vehicles rolled past the cones bisecting the parking lot of Groton Human Services on Friday morning, as volunteers put food baskets and frozen turkeys into the cars of some of the 415 low-income people who had registered.

"I need a turkey, a small family," volunteer Colleen O'Brien called ahead to social worker Lisa Carney, signifying the size for a single person or couple with no children. O'Brien turned to the driver: "Where would you like it? In the front seat, in the passenger?"

Students from Robert E. Fitch High School, several from the Falcon Business Society and two who are Carney's sons, brought food baskets up from the basement — the staging area — or put them into cars.

Jeff Wilbur, the boyfriend of Groton Human Services office assistant Megan Freeman, lifted turkeys from his pickup truck. The two had gone to the central office of Groton Public Schools about 7 a.m.; nearly 70 turkeys were stored there because Groton Human Services had run out of freezer space.

By the end of the day, Groton Human Services Director Marge Fondulas said all baskets of nonperishable food had been picked up except for 20 — which will be saved for the Christmas distribution on Dec. 22 — and about 30 volunteers had helped out.

The food distribution is personal for volunteer Colleen O'Brien: The agency helped her with food, mental health and services for her autistic daughter when addiction and trauma left her homeless.

"I don't mind giving back to the community that which was freely given to me," she said.

O'Brien said she has now been clean for five and a half years and has been housed in Groton for the past two. She lives with her two kids, and this was her second year volunteering to distribute Thanksgiving baskets.

"This shows them my character, you know what I mean?" O'Brien said. She added, "That's why they call it Thanksgiving; they don't call it Thankstaking."

Fondulas said the annual distribution was already well underway when she came onboard in 1992, but the setup changed over the years to be an outdoor one.

Those wanting Thanksgiving baskets could fill out a request form between late October and Thursday, but those wanting to sign up for Christmas have until Wednesday. The upper threshold to qualify is 185 percent of the poverty level — for example, annual income of $23,107 for an individual and $47,638 for a family of four.

When the people who have signed up arrive, they first check in with two social workers, where they can choose between getting a frozen turkey or a voucher for $15 to take to a store.

Riley Reissner, a senior at Fitch and public relations coordinator of the Falcon Business Society, said the group came in a couple weeks ago to pop up the cardboard boxes.

She said volunteering has helped show her the big picture and that there's "a lot more going on in our community that we don't know about," while club President Nikiah Perry said she knows people who come in and need the food.

Fondulas said that on Wednesday, 20 to 25 volunteers assembled the food baskets. A basket for a family includes canned vegetables, yams, cream of mushroom soup, fried onions, cranberry sauce, instant potato mix, stuffing, bread mix, gravy, rolls, pancake mix and syrup.

"We are amazed every year with the donations we get from the community," Fondulas said. "It's just phenomenal. Whether it's frozen turkeys or food or cash, the community has always been very generous."

She said one woman pulled up the other day with six turkeys, asked what the department needed, and later returned with as many frozen turkeys as she could fit in her SUV — at least 15.

Financial assistant Heidi McSwain said Groton Human Services has gotten about $13,000 in monetary donations this year, and that the department spent about $12,000 on food and vouchers. She said whatever is left goes into the Groton Food Locker or a discretionary account for programming throughout the year.

e.moser@theday.com