(KAIR)--For the 11th year, Atchison-based MGP Ingredients is providing the Atchison community with a Christmas present in the form of what's known as "Boxes of Blessing."

According to a release, the company will, through the help of local partners, distribute 25,000 pounds of food during the annual giveaway, planned for Friday, December 13.

Aimed at serving Atchison-area families in need, each box will contain 25-pounds of non-perishable food items, and will be given away, from 1 to 7 pm, in the alley on the south side of Atchison Wholesale Grocery, located at 100 South 3rd Street. Drivers, on that December 13, are asked to line up on main street in wait of their box, which will be available while supplies last.

MGP's vice president of Ingredient Solutions sales and R&D, Michael Buttshaw, in the release, says "Boxes of Blessing" "reflects appreciation and care for the entire Atchison community," adding that the company finds it "gratifying to help our neighbors."

Local, non-profit partners include Atchison County Food Pantry at First Christian Church; the Salvation Army of Atchison County; Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas; and Pantry of Hope. The Atchison Police Department and Atchison Wholesale Grocery are also commended for their assistance with the annual giveaway.

The Atchison project was inspired by a community program developed more than 20 years ago at B.C. Williams, a Dallas-based ingredients distributor and producer of custom mixes, bases and concentrates, with the "Boxes of Blessing" initially focused on helping families in Texas and Tennessee, until it was extended to the Atchison area in 2014.