The 34th Annual Stuff-A-Bus Food Drive is Happening Oct. 22-Nov. 30

The 34th Annual Stuff-A-Bus food drive to benefit the Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service officially began on Friday, October 22 with a press conference at the Kroger store located at 9219 N. Lindbergh Drive in Peoria. Representatives from CityLink, the Peoria Friendship House and Kroger were on hand to kick off the annual food drive. During the press conference, it was announced that the food drive is returning to the collection of physical food donations to fill onto the vintage 1975 CityLink bus and the goal this year is to collect 10 tons of food. Kroger donated 100 flats of non-perishable food to get the food drive started.

For the past 34 years, CityLink has hosted the Stuff-A-Bus food drive to help eliminate hunger in Peoria. With a long partnership with Kroger to collect enough food to stuff a classic CityLink bus, the donations collected during the annual food drive benefit the food pantry at the Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service. Since January of this year, the Peoria Friendship House food pantry has provided an average of 400 meals weekly to families who are dealing with hunger in Peoria.

All Peoria Kroger stores are participating in this year’s Stuff-a-Bus campaign, which include:

• Kroger located at 9219 Lindbergh Drive, Peoria
• Kroger located at 801 W. Lake Avenue, Peoria
• Kroger located at 3311 N. Sterling Avenue, Peoria
• Kroger located at 201 S. Main Street, East Peoria

The participating Kroger stores have donation displays available that include non-perishable food items that are needed at the Peoria Friendship House food pantry. Shoppers can simply purchase items from the displays or purchase food off the shelves and place the donations in the bins located at the front of the stores.

For a full list of other donation drop off sites, please visit the Stuff-A-Bus page of this website.

Throughout the 2021 Stuff-A-Bus campaign, various activities will be held in support of the food drive:

• November 3: Ride Free Day – Passengers can ride free on CityLink fixed route buses with the donation of a non-perishable food item. One donation is required per ride.
• November 10: Ride Free Day – Passengers can ride free on CityLink fixed route buses with the donation of a non-perishable food item. One donation is required per ride.
• November 13: Central Illinois Ghostbusters “Stuff-an-Ecto” event at the Kroger store in East Peoria from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• November 17: Calendar Day – The public can receive a free 2022 Peoria Historical Calendar in exchange for a donation of non-perishable food at the CityLink Transit Center or Administrative offices.
• November 19: The 8th Annual Day of Stuffing will take place at the Kroger Store located at 801 W. Lake Ave from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. WMBD and Peoria Cumulus Radio stations will broadcast live from the location inviting people to come to the store and make their food donation to help fill the bus with donations. Television and radio personalities, as well as other special guests, will be on hand throughout the event.
• November 19/20: Stuff-A-Bus Nights at the Peoria Rivermen games against the Huntsville Havoc. Fans who bring a donation of non-perishable food to the game will receive a raffle ticket to win a signed authentic PEANUTS Charlie Brown jersey. The jerseys will be auctioned off during the 3rd period of each respective game. Game time is at 7:15 p.m. both nights at the Peoria Civic Center. One raffle ticket will be handed out per donated item – i.e. One fan can bring five items and receive five raffle tickets.
• November 27: Stuff-A-Bus Game with the Peoria Mustangs. Fans who bring a donation of non-perishable food to the game will receive free entry to the game and a special giveaway item courtesy of CityLink. One donation is required per person for free entry. Game time is at 6:30 p.m. and the game is played at Owens Center.
• November 30: Weigh-In Day Press Conference – the final weight of the food collected will be revealed at a press conference at the Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service at 10:00 a.m.

Cumulus Radio, WYZZ Fox 43, WMBD CBS 31 and CIPROUD.com are media partners in this food drive and will air public service announcements about the great need to collect enough groceries to keep the Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service food pantry open all year long. The Amalgamated Transit Union Local #416 is also a long-time participating sponsor of Stuff-A-Bus.

The Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service was established in 1951 as a response to the great need for assistance to individuals and families living in deep poverty. Peoria Friendship House provides valuable services such as food, medical assistance, youth education, adult education, employment preparation, and finance and employment coaching, while encouraging lasting change for those it serves. Their Advocacy, Coaching, Education and Support approach provides wrap-around services supported by short and long-term coaching for both the Latino and English-speaking communities. The staff at the Peoria Friendship House are dedicated to providing hope and guidance that offers a “hand-up” rather than handout.

Peoria Friendship House forms collaborations with community partners to provide resources outside of their agency. For further information on Peoria Friendship House programs, please call 309-671-5200 or visit their website at www.friendship.house. The Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service is proud to be a Heart of Illinois United Way Community Partner.

For the most up-to-date information on the food drive, please visit and like the official Stuff-A-Bus Facebook page.