RACELAND, Ky. — The Kiwanis Club of East Greenup County and its Key Clubs at Raceland-Worthington and Russell high schools set a new record Saturday by distributing 60 Thanksgiving food baskets to Greenup County families.

It was the 29th consecutive year for the project.

Kiwanis president Don Golightly and Joshua Joseph, chairman of the project, said 25 baskets were delivered in the Greenup County school district, while 15 were delivered in the Russell area and the remaining 20 in the Raceland area.

Food items in the baskets included cans of green beans and corn, fruit cocktail, instant potatoes and gravy, corn muffin mix, boxed macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce, jello, and peanut butter and jelly.

Kiwanis members, along with their Key Club families, provide all of those items, while the Kiwanis Club provided a boneless half ham, bread and a dessert.

Items in the baskets, including the ham, bread and dessert, cost an estimated $5,500, or $92 per basket. That was an increase over last year’s per basket cost of $64 when 55 baskets were distributed.

Over the 29-year history of the project, launched in 1995, the baskets have assisted 1,550 families at an estimated value of $62,600.

The Key Club members at Russell and Raceland check all the baskets to make sure they contain everything families will need for their Thanksgiving meal.

The family resource centers at the three school districts identify the families who will receive the baskets, which are then picked up at either McDowell Intermediate school in Russell, Raceland-Worthington High School in Raceland or McKell Middle School in South Shore.

The idea for the project originated with the Key Club at Raceland in 1995. That year 15 baskets were delivered. The numbers have increased over the years resulting in a new record this year.