For the third year, a big yellow school bus will be parked outside Wading River Fire Department, waiting to be filled with food donations throughout the holiday season.
The fire department’s popular “Stuff-A-Bus” food drive is back this year, collecting canned and non-perishable goods that will be delivered to local food pantries and soup kitchens.
Over the next month, the seats and aisles of the bus parked in the fire department parking lot will gradually be packed with bags and boxes of donations from generous local residents. Residents will also be able to donate at collection tables stationed at King Kullen throughout the holiday season, manned by local Boy Scout troops – or they can simply stop by the fire department and load their donations onto the bus themselves.
This year, the food drive will have a greater impact than ever on local food pantries, which are running low following the shipments of donations to areas affected by recent natural disasters.
“With all the hurricanes and disasters in Houston, South Florida and Puerto Rico diverting so many resources, our local churches, who have given so much, now need our help to restock their food pantries,” said Mike Hammer, fire department president.
The stuff-a-bus food drive was a popular local tradition before it petered out several years ago. In 2015, the fire department decided to resurrect the campaign. It was welcomed with open arms by the community, which overwhelmed the fire department with donations.
The school bus, donated by First Student Bus Co., will be accepting donations at Wading River Fire Department headquarters from now until the beginning of January. The food drive’s collections will be delivered to local food banks and church pantries on January 7.
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