Annual Stuff a Bus campaign for food banks starts Wednesday

An Edmonton Transit Service bus is filled with groceries after the 2024 Stuff a Bus campaign benefitting local food banks. (Amanda Anderson/CTV News Edmonton)

An effort to fill an Edmonton Transit Service bus with non-perishable food and financial donations to local food banks starts Wednesday.

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The Stuff a Bus campaign – benefitting Edmonton’s Food Bank, Strathcona Food Bank, and Parkland Food Bank – runs until Saturday.

Donations can be made at participating public schools, Save-On-Foods, and transit centres.

Edmonton’s Food Bank’s hamper program helps about 43,000 people a month, an all-time high.

“Stuff a Bus continues to show what’s possible when our city comes together with heart and purpose. As demand for food support reaches record levels, this campaign helps us ensure families, seniors and individuals have access to the nutritious food they need,” said food bank spokesperson Tamisan Bennz-Knight in a press release.

In 2024, more than 24,000 kilograms of food and $20,000 was collected, feeding some 60,000 people in Edmonton.

Since the Stuff a Buss campaign was started in 1995, it has collected 625,000 kilograms of food and fundraised $535,000, providing more than 1.5 million meals.

According to campaign organizers, every donation of $3.64 provides a meal for one person.