ARLINGTON — Families started lining up at Cascade Valley Hospital at 3:30 p.m. for the 5 p.m. start of photos with Santa and characters from Disney’s Frozen Dec. 4.

By the time Santa arrived on an Arlington fire engine, as part of the first night of the “Santa Run” food drive for the Arlington Community Food Bank, Jennifer Egger figured the sixth annual evening of pictures with the kids had already doubled the previous year’s attendance.

“It’s the busiest we’ve ever been,” said Egger, community relations coordinator for the hospital. “Of course, we had Princess Elsa, whom everyone loves, but Olaf was new this year, and he was a treat.”

Egger thanked all the families for their patience, given how many of them were waiting their turn to greet not only Elsa and Olaf, but also the jolly old elf himself.

“Nobody tried to rush anyone else, so each child got a special moment with Santa,” Egger said.

Egger has seen enough families return for photos, year after year, that “I feel like I’ve gotten to watch their kids grow up.”

Even better, she estimated that this year’s picture sessions yielded about $100 in monetary donations and close to 100 pounds in food, which also surpass the previous years’ totals.

“This is a free event, so it’s great to see that the community is still so giving,” Egger said.

Egger reported that generosity has continued throughout the Santa Run. When she accompanied the fire crews through downtown Arlington Dec. 7, she guessed they collected at least another 100 pounds of food.

This year’s Santa Run wraps up with tours through Gleneagle on Saturday, Dec. 12, and through the Crossing, Highland View and the mobile home parks on Sunday, Dec. 13, from 5:30-8 p.m. both nights.