A million dollars.

It’s happily becoming a given: The Gazette-El Pomar Foundation Empty Stocking Fund and a million dollars.

Once again donors – 2,284 strong – came through for the 2015-16 holiday-season campaign and raised $1,144,158.61 for 20 health and human service nonprofits. Nine million-dollar years.

On Monday, with the snow floating down, agency representatives, donors and volunteers were at Penrose House for the good news and the distribution of checks at the closing reception.

“We are changing the future. It’s amazing what we can and are doing,” said Jerry Bruni, of the Bruni Foundation, who was honored for giving matching grants altogether totaling a million dollars since 2000. To celebrate that personal million milestone, Bruni had run his pen down the list of recipients, stopping where this year’s campaign went over the million-dollar mark, and doubled his grant check to that agency, Silver Key Senior Services. There were screams at the announcement.

Also matching grants was the El Pomar Foundation.

“This is a community event and that’s what sets it apart,” said Gazette Publisher Dan Steever.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/zcgtbal

More photos: gazettedev.gazette.com/life/around-town