LAKEWOOD — The Faith Lutheran Church of Lakewood saw a more sizable turnout and a larger pot of donations from this year’s Hot August Car Show, which drew 19 vehicles from around the area to show off some classic cars and pitch in for local folks in need on Saturday, Aug. 10.

“We received $772 that day, more than last year, which was about $660,” said event organizer Jane Hogland, who noted that Thrivent Financial for Lutherans also donates $400 each year, in addition to the monies raised through the car show itself. “Between that and the donations we’re continuing to receive, even after the event, we’ll probably have raised a total of about $1,200.”

While several of the event’s attendees told Hogland that they’d read about it in The Marysville Globe and The Arlington Times, she also attributed the improved performance of this year’s car show to the church assigning one of its members to distribute press releases promoting the event, a step they hadn’t taken last year.

As always, the total proceeds from this year’s car show will be split down the middle between the Arlington Community Food Bank and the Stillaguamish Senior Center Food Bank, since the event’s organizers and support staff all volunteer their time entirely free of charge.

With motorists coming from as near as Marysville and Arlington, and as far as Edmonds this year, Hogland appreciates the camaraderie that’s brought so many people together, for nine years running.

“It really is a family-friendly event,” Hogland said. “A lot of people come with their kids, to show their kids what cars used to look like, and the kids get really excited. This year, we even had the van from Scooby Doo, which the kids really liked, of course, but so did the adults.”

Looking beyond the Hot August Car Show, the Faith Lutheran Church is already planning for its Sunday School Rally on Sept. 8 and its Holiday Bazaar on Nov. 10, the latter of which the church uses to raise money for as many as 40 food baskets for area families in need each year. In the meantime, Hogland expressed the church’s gratitude for what they’ve received so far, enough to raise a total of approximately $8,000, prior to this year’s car show, for the two food banks.

“I want to offer a sincere thank you to our participants and spectators alike, for supporting us and supporting the community,” Hogland said.

For more information, call the Faith Lutheran Church of Lakewood at 360-652-9545, or log onto www.smokeypointlutheranchurch.org.