Richard Hartmann and Teri Sisk were two of the volunteers helping out with the Stuff the Bus effort. Hartmann is in his fifth year of driving a Fauquier County school bus; Sisk drove a school bus for 18 years but is now a transportation department dispatcher.
Nearly 16,000 pounds of food were donated to the Fauquier Community Food Bank and Thrift Store during the ninth annual “Stuff the Bus” event on Saturday, Nov. 6. Four buses were situated at three separate locations across the county, sparking friendly competition among the north, south and central divisions.
The event traditionally is held at local schools; however, the pandemic forced organizers to come up with a new plan last year. That’s when the idea to position buses at various locations throughout the county came to fruition.
County employee Karen Embrey said donations in 2020 were down because of the pandemic. “In 2019, we had … 15,000 pounds of food donated, but last year there was less than 10,000,” she said.
Supervisor Alice Curtis accepts groceries at the Bealeton Food Lion.
Donations to the food bank are vital, said Executive Director Sharon Ames. The food bank feeds 150 to 200 families weekly. Ames said, “We rely on stuff the bus. We couldn’t do what we do without the community.” With the donations received, the food bank will make several hundred Thanksgiving baskets to ensure each recipient has everything they need to put dinner on the table.
Lead bus driver Chanda Mullins said that at the Warrenton Walmart, Mullins had Christmas inflatables set up outside her bus to grab shoppers' attention. “I realized I’m a very blessed person, and you see these families, and I feel like we can do so much more,” she said. “I hate to see anyone go hungry.”
Bus drivers and other volunteers were on hand to load the buses full of canned goods, frozen turkeys and plenty of sides. There was a steady flow of shoppers at each location, bringing bags full of donations to help the cause. Drivers brought the food-filled buses back to the food bank for the big weigh-in and to start the sorting process.
Once the final numbers were in, the southern division reigned champion, with more than 9,500 pounds of food.
Food collections will continue this week. On Nov. 12, students across the county have been asked to bring in donations to further “stuff the bus.” For more information on how to help, visit www.fauquierfoodbank.org.
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November 11, 2021 at 09:00PM
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'Stuff the Bus' collects donations to help support local food bank - Fauquier Times
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