Four men and women in rain jackets kept their heads down and hands busy as they unloaded boxes full of canned corn, glass jars of baby food and other non-perishable food items from the back of a van Thursday afternoon.

For 30 minutes, these employees of the Center for Domestic Preparedness worked in steady rain to empty the van and help restock the All Saints Interfaith Center of Concern’s food pantry.

After a month-long Christmas food drive, CDP employees collected more than $500 in food items for the local center.

“This is wonderful!” exclaimed center finance director Robin Gladd. “This is what keeps us truly going: The people who put boxes out front of their offices and think of us day after day, bit by bit.”

CDP employee Holly Robinson organized the FEMA organization’s efforts this year and said many federal employees as well as contractor workers donated goods for the CDP’s third annual food drive.

Sister Jane O’Connor helps run the center and said the donations couldn’t have come at a better time — the holiday season is one of the food pantry’s busiest times of year.

“In the weeks before Christmas, it’s non-stop,” she said.

Kent Davis, another CDP employee who helped unload food donations Thursday, said the food drive was coordinated by the company’s newly formed employee association, which focuses on organizing various charitable, social and recreational events.

“Charity is an important function of our group,” he said.

Gladd said charity is important to the food pantry, too, noting that the center served one person every eight minutes Thursday, or 26 people total.

“As fast as it (donations) comes in, it goes out,” she said.