NILES — This week, vans and trucks came into the parking lot of Shelton’s Farm Market, 1832 S. 11th St., with empty trunks and beds. They left with vehicles full of “wholesome food that will feed a family well,” said Nick Shelton, Shelton’s fruit peddler and mayor of Niles.

The farm market gave 87 food baskets, about 50 pounds each, to four receiving entities: Brandywine Community Schools, Ferry Street Resource Center, Niles Community Schools and The Salvation Army.

In years past, Shelton’s did not deliver their baskets to organizations. Doing so now makes it easier on donators who did not have to have a family in mind.

The participating groups will distribute the boxes of fruits, vegetables, juice, oats and other essentials to families that they identified to be in need.

“A family of four could live off it for a week, two weeks,” Shelton said. “It’s awesome.”

The food baskets were donated by Shelton’s customers, who purchased them for $28.95 each, about $10 less than the retail price of the food inside.

The drive received two boosts during its late fall run. First was a deal by One Good Deed Michiana, a nonprofit that seeks to recognize people who help others in the area. The organization — led by Allison Hayes-Freeze Shelton, Shelton’s wife — matched 25 basket donations.

“We had orders, and then it kind of went off after she decided to do that,” Shelton said.

The second boost came from a new online ordering feature at sheltonfarms.com. Shelton’s will soon offer wholesale purchases online, too.

Brandywine High School staff and Ferry Street Resource Center staff stopped by Shelton’s Monday afternoon, taking back 14 and 17 boxes, respectively.

Ric Pawloski, director of Ferry Street Resource Center, and Brandi Zoll, school counselor at Merritt and Brandywine elementary schools, both said the donated meals would help the families they have identified as in need.

The donations are part of larger efforts led by both groups.

Pawloski said Ferry Street Resource Center recently served 51 Thanksgiving meals — “with turkey and all the fixings” — thanks to Walmart, Herman & Kittle and Chemical Bank.

Zoll connects families who have applied to receive resources and assistance. Through a number of initiatives co-hosted by area groups ranging from Niles Service League to Betrand Bible Church, 63 families in need have been connected to resources at least once this school year.

An effort similar to Shelton’s that Brandywine coordinates is the Salvation Army’s Red Backpack program, which gives nearly 30 Brandywine students two gallon-sized bags of food to take home each weekend.

As 17 boxes of food were prepared for takeoff at Shelton’s, Zoll pulled out hot pink paper with statements shared by impacted family members written on them. Each one of them expressed thanks to Shelton’s and Brandywine.

“It is a big relief,” read one of them. “Being a single mom, money is really tight. This is awesome.”

Another note was short but immediately to the point.

“Very grateful. Needed help,” it read.