Coming Together to Help Our Neighbors at Stuff the Bus
Britepaths’ staff and volunteers were so excited to reconnect with our community, and receive some greatly needed food and supplies for our Emergency Pantry, at our Stuff the Bus Food Drive on Saturday, February 11, 2023 at the Walmart in Fairfax City. This was our first in-person Stuff the Bus drive since February 2020, and it was such a joy to be back!
We raised 1,154.20 pounds of food and supplies, $910 in gift cards and $236.78 in cash to stock up our pantry so we can help local families who are referred to us when they’re experiencing a crisis.
Thirty volunteers assisted us throughout the day to pass out flyers to shoppers, bring donations to the Fastran bus, help unload the Fastran bus at our office, and weigh and shelve the food and supplies. Volunteers included long-time and new volunteers, including Britepaths Board President Emily Barnes and Director Christina Saxon, a family that has received services from Britepaths, and members of Boy Scout Troop 1966 of Fairfax.
We are so thankful to everyone who donated, our volunteers, Walmart Fairfax for hosting us, and Fairfax County and MV Transportation (Fastran) for sponsoring the drives.
Learn More:
Britepath’s Food Bridge program provides emergency and short-term food assistance to Fairfax County area residents who are experiencing a financial crisis. In FY22, our food assistance programs served 259 families, helping feed 802 people in those families, including 379 children. Community members can help our families throughout the year by Donating to our Emergency Pantry, serving as a Supporting Organization for families receiving short-term food support, or running Food and Fund Drives. Creating Food4Thought Weekend Food Packs is another wonderful way to help local students experiencing food insecurity.
Stuff the Bus is a public-private initiative organized by Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services to help local nonprofits stock their pantries. Their winter 2023 drives were held on Saturdays from January 14 through February 18, 2023 at various grocery stores throughout the county, benefitting 18 local nonprofits, including Britepaths. Learn more about Stuff the Bus and future drives at: http://bit.ly/FfxStufftheBus.
