Central Texans showed their overwhelming support during the fourth annual “Stuff the Bus” food drive this past weekend, donating enough food to provide more than 40,000 meals, benefiting the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas.
This year’s accomplishments were unmatched, with the efforts reaching the goal set of collecting enough food and cash donations equal to nearly 47,900 meals. This year’s total included matching cash donations from the Beaumont Foundation of America; the Foundation pledged to match all cash donations to the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas through the month of December. During 2012-2014, “Stuff the Bus” collected enough food to provide a combined total of 45,000 meals.
During the three-day food collection marathon held Dec. 11-13, Capital Metro, Whole Foods Market and the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas accepted nonperishable food items at five Austin-area Whole Foods Market locations, along with cash donations.
Items donated filled the interiors of three Capital Metro buses parked at the Downtown and Domain Whole Foods Market stores, and also a new location at Arbor Trails in Southwest Austin.
“It was so great to see our community come together to lift the spirits of those in need,” said Capital Metro President/CEO Linda Watson. “We set the bar even higher this year, and we can’t thank people enough for the outpouring of support given for our neighbors in need.”
“Stuff the Bus does an incredible job of raising awareness of hunger, and we are grateful to see this food drive continue to grow each year,” said Hank Perret, president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. “We’d like to extend a huge thank you to our partners Whole Foods and Capital Metro for supporting the vital mission of the Food Bank to put nutritious food directly into the hands of our struggling neighbors.”
The food donations collected this weekend have already been received into the Food Bank inventory to be distributed to community service sites across 21 Central Texas counties, including nearly 300 partner agencies and mobile food pantries.
This year, local company Hot Dang veggie burgers contributed 280 cases of product, along with local grower Vital Farms, who donated 6,343 pounds of eggs.
Inventory in the Capital Area Food Bank’s South Congress storage turns over every 21 days. The Food Bank serves more than 300,000 clients each year.
Representatives for Capital Metro, Whole Foods Market and the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas say they’re looking forward to the fifth annual “Stuff the Bus” food drive, coming December 2016.
