As the clock ticks to 9 a.m. this Saturday, fans of the annual Christmas "Cookie Walk" will be lined up and ready to go to get their share of cookies baked by volunteers for the Visiting Nurse Association of Somerset Hills.

They'd better be — last year, most of the of the hundreds and hundreds of cookies laid out at a sale to benefit for the VNA's Adult Day Center were snapped up and purchased in less than half an hour.

Some of the sale's longtime bakers have longtime fans. Marilyn King, one of the Cookie Walk's co-chairwomen, each year bakes her cappuccino cookies that are eagerly sought out by cookie shoppers. The other Cookie Walk co-chair, Sandy Smith, says she has been baking since the first cookie sale.

The 21st annual Cookie Walk is scheduled to take place this year at the VNA headquarters at 200 Mount Airy Road in Basking Ridge.

Hundreds of homemade cookies and treats will be available for purchase by the pound during this unique and popular fundraising tradition, according to the VNA. In addition to the baked goods, members of the Basking Ridge Garden Club will have festive, holiday boxwood centerpieces for sale. Proceeds from that sale, too, benefit the Adult Day Center of the VNA of Somerset Hills.

An eager crowd arrives each year to line up even before doors open, waiting for cookies that fans say they serve in their homes, and also give as gifts.

"This is a wonderful chance to stock up on homemade baked goods while benefiting a great cause,” Smith said. “It will also give you an opportunity to see this wonderful facility [the Adult Day Center] and gain a better understanding of what your dollars are supporting.”

The Adult Day Center was created to offer a safe, friendly environment and full day of activities for the frail elderly or chronically disabled adult who may assistance or supervision during the day.

The Visiting Nurse Association of Somerset Hills and its subsidiaries provide individuals and families with comprehensive, cost-effective home and community healthcare services, regardless of ability to pay, using partnerships where appropriate, according to information from the VNA. The charitable, tax-exempt home health agency and hospice certified by Medicare, accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program and licensed by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. For more information, visit the VNA website.