The 37th Annual Stuff-A-Bus Food Drive is October 18 through November 29
The 37th Annual Stuff-A-Bus food drive to benefit the Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service officially begins on Friday, October 18 at 10:00 a.m. with a press conference at the Kroger store location at 9219 N. Lindbergh Drive in Peoria. Representatives from CityLink, the Peoria Friendship House and Kroger will be on hand to kick off the annual food drive. This year, Stuff-A-Bus plans to outdo the success in 2023 and set a goal to reach a new record and collect 12 tons of food onto the newly imagined ’vintage’ CityLink bus.
To mark the kickoff this year, there will be a live broadcast at the Kroger on Lindbergh from Cumulus Radio station Z 92.3 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., encouraging listeners to stop by the kickoff event and donate to Stuff-A-Bus. Additionally, cheerleaders from Coach Bre Cottage Cheerleading & Dance Company will provide some extra enthusiasm to the event, and there will be a special performance by the Manual High School Band Drumline immediately following the press conference outside.
For the past 37 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 CityLink bus, the donations collected during the annual food drive benefit the food pantry at the Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service. In a year, the Peoria Friendship House food pantry provides an average of 150,000 meals to those dealing with hunger in Peoria.
All Peoria Kroger stores are participating in this year’s Stuff-a-Bus campaign, which includes the stores in Peoria located at 9219 Lindbergh Dr.; 801 W. Lake Ave.; and 3311 N. Sterling Ave. The Kroger store in East Peoria, located at 201 S. Main St., is also participating. 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.
The following businesses/organizations are also serving as drop off locations during the 2024 Stuff-A-Bus food drive:
- CityLink Administrative offices (2105 NE Jefferson Avenue, Peoria, IL 61603)
- East Peoria City Hall ( 401 West Washington Street, East Peoria, IL 61611)
- Jones Bros. Jewelers (7705 North Grand Prairie Drive, Peoria, IL 61615)
- Peoria Riverfront Museum (222 SW Washington Street, Peoria, IL 61602)
- West Peoria City Hall (2506 W. Rohmann Avenue, West Peoria, IL 61604)
- WMBD Studios (3131 N. University Street, Peoria, IL 61604)
- Corn Stock Theatre (1606 N. Park Road, Peoria, IL 61604)
- Peoria Players Theatre (4300 N University St, Peoria, IL 61614)
- Peoria Fire Department (505 NE Monroe St, Peoria, IL 61603)
- First Christian Church (6400 N University St, Peoria, IL 61614)
- Martin Hood Accounting Firm (4801 N Prospect Rd, Peoria Heights, IL 61616)
- Peoria Production Solutions (2029 W Townline Rd, Peoria, IL 61615)
- First Baptist Church (411 W Lake Ave, Peoria, IL 61614)
- Trewyn School (1419 S. Folkers Avenue, Peoria, IL 61605)
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 this year’s food drive, please “like” the Stuff-A-Bus Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stuffabuspeoria or visit www.ridecitylink.org/about/stuff-a-bus.
For questions regarding CityLink service, routes, and hours of operation, please call 309-676-4040.