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County turnout for Martin Luther King Jr. Day festivities reached record levels – and the proof wasn't just in the crowds.

It was also in the 55-gallon bags filled with food donations.

Usually, Manna Food collects a few bags of donations from the Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center for service events, said Chuck Crisostomo, assistant director of the Silver Spring-based services center. On Monday, the center received 15 bags of food, and more donations poured in afterward.

"This was the biggest response to a program that we've ever seen," Crisostomo said.

According to the Montgomery County Volunteer Center, about 3,900 volunteers participated in King Day events and 9,000 pounds of food were collected.

Amy Gabala, executive director of Rockville-based Manna Food, said she thought that the four years she has worked at Manna Food would dull her reaction to the high number of donations on King Day. But it didn't.

"I'm in awe of the generosity of people," Gabala said. "The county came through [and] the public came through."

Anise Key Brown, director of Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center, said the event was successful because "everybody was enthralled" by the inauguration of President Barack Obama the next day and his call to service.

The regional services center drew about 300 people on King Day, said Gwen Haney, program specialist at the center. She said volunteering locally makes it more personal.

"They're making a contribution to their community," she said.

The food donations are checked by Manna Food workers before being distributed to its programs, which include food that goes to elementary school-aged children. Gabala said residents stepped up at a critical time; food demand increased in January, she said.

Weeks before, county officials had predicted big things for this year's King Day as events were spread across five sites throughout the county. Last year, all festivities were held in Bethesda.

The county prepared for King Day in part by launching Yes Montgomery Can!, a community partnership designed to get more residents interested in volunteering. The county-run volunteer Web site has also helped generate interest in volunteering, according to Reed Dewey, directory of corporate community service for the Montgomery County Volunteer Center.

"We want to make it as easy as possible for people to [volunteer]," he said.

With more county sites putting volunteers to work, a long drive to a volunteer destination should no longer deter people from volunteering, Crisostomo said.

"When you make it convenient you take away excuses," he said.

For more information about county volunteer opportunities, go to www.1-800-volunteer.org/1800Vol/

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