Staff at the Department of Parks who collected food and household items for the needy over Christmas have been thanked for their efforts by Minister of Environment and Planning Sylvan Richards.The Christmas in the Park After Dark event was a light show and food drive devised by the employees of the Department to assist charities with food collection for families in need.A Government spokeswoman said: “The team designed and built a Christmas-themed light and prop display throughout the Botanical Gardens, and also decorated the Camden House exterior, to entice people to visit the garden and make a donation of a non-perishable item as they entered.“The initiative ran from November 15, 2012 until December 31, 2012. Additionally, donation stations were set up in the offices of the Department of Public Transportation, TCD, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Tourism, Public Works HQ, the Aquarium, the National Training Board and Marsh Folly Depot.”Parks director Lisa-Dawn Johnston said: “We collected thousands of food items, as well as monetary donations. Members of the public donated everything from paper towels to tins of soup and boxes of cereal and we wish to thank them for their incredible support and outreach during these austere times.”The Department of Parks will distribute the goods to charities across the Island this week.Mr Richards said: “I am so proud of the staff of the Department of Parks for creating the vision for Christmas in the Park After Dark. It says a lot about the character of those in the Department, who I understand were so elated at the success of the initiative that they plan to make it an annual event.“I also wish to thank those members of the public who made donations for their generosity and kinship towards their fellow Bermudians in these tough times. It is a testament to the true Bermudian spirit.”