University News

'Stuff the Bus' Brings in Over 6,000 Food Donations

November 15, 2019

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MACOMB, IL – The fall "Stuff the Bus" food drive, held Nov. 6 at Western Illinois University, collected more than 6,000 nonperishable food items and nearly $2,500 in donations.

The effort surpassed the Spring 2019 event by 260 food items and more than $1,250 in donations. The event was moved back to the fall season this year.

The donations were given to the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, the Western Illinois Regional Council (WIRC) Community Action Agency, the Salvation Army and the food pantry on the WIU campus. The event is put on each year by WIU student, faculty and staff volunteers, who collect and organize donations, staff tables at local grocery stores and deliver the donations to local pantries.

The annual food drive would not be possible without the help of Western Illinois University, for always hosting the food drive at Sherman Circle; the grocery stores (Walmart, Hy-Vee and Jackson Street Market) - Every store let the food collectors go inside and they each sell the Stop Hunger grocery bags, making it easy for people to donate; Hy-Vee does the "Shop & Share" fundraiser as well, and Walmart hosted a cookout; there could not be a "Stuff the Bus" without the Go West bus – they also let a bus sit at Hy-Vee on Make A Difference Day; Parking Services for partnering with the first-ever Parking Citation Relief Day; Edison Elementary donated nearly 2,000 items; NTN Bower for their internal food drive in support of Stuff the Bus; Buffalo Wild Wings for hosting a fundraiser each year; Professor Susan Czechowski from the WIU art department, who printed t-shirts; local celebrities Colby Rhodd, Macomb Mayor Mike Inman, Terri Hare and Kunes Country's GM, Michael Dennis, who took Pie in the Face for donations; Kunes Country; and all the organizations and students who volunteered: BSA, Omega Psi Phi, Women's Rugby, GLAM Modeling, House Arrest 2, WU Food Pantry, Alpha Sigma Alpha, AMPLIFY, WAVE, ETL 535 Class, Elite Beauty Dance Organization, National Broadcasting Society and 17 individual WIU students.

The following departments showed support through an internal food drive: Parking Services; Human Resources; Office of Registrar; Veteran Affairs; University Marketing; Student Development and Success Center and Graduate Studies.

The local business gift basket raffle would not have been possible without the following businesses: Joe Roselieb for the Colonel Rocky gift basket; No Place Like Home; Dr. Pepper; Pepsi; ProEdge Property Services; The Old Dairy; Lincoln Tattoo; Rubix Vaporizer's and Smoking Accessories; Chick-fil-A; Michael's Hair Design Salon; The Crafty Coop and Chicks on the Square.

After being pied in the face, Inman came back and helped load the bus, along with WIU Interim President Martin Abraham and Rocky the Mascot.

The planning of the event was done by the Sodexo Management Team, including Anna Filson and Jen Martin, and members of the catering team, Tulara Powell, Miranda McCoy, Brenda Foster, Denise Rogers, Nathan Rebman, Josh White, Caitlin Martindale and the truck driver, Michael Huston.

Next year's food collection will be Oct. 24, 2020 and Nov. 4, 2020.

For more information about the food drive, visit wiu.edu/stuffthebus, or contact Sodexo at (309) 298-1982 or email by email at Sodexo@wiu.edu or at WIUSTBfooddrive@gmail.com.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing