Stuff the Bus Rolls Into Town During Major Time of Need

The Washington Township Food Pantry has received plenty of help in the way of food donations in the past month.

But plenty is still not enough.

A start-of-the-school year community effort to help fill the pantry was a success, as the Washington Township School District used its Honeywell Alert system to reach out to parents and teachers and bring donations to the pantry, housed at Long Valley Presbyterian Church on Bartley Road.

On top of that, Washington Township came up huge in the month of September as part of the county-wide YouGiveGoods campaign called Morris County Municipal Action to Curb Hunger (M.C.M.A.T.C.H.) saw the community haul in 6,011 pounds of goods, all benefitting the local food pantry. 

It comes at a time when the pantry most needs it. The summer months deplete the shelves, according to Long Valley Presbyterian Church’s Community Outreach Deacon Dana LaGueux. The holiday months are near, and the pantry is serving the most families – 70 currently registered – in its nearly three-decade existence.

Now the community will have another chance to come together and support one another, as the fourth annual Stuff the Bus event rolls into town on Oct. 26.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. a full-size school bus will be parked out front of the pantry as the initiative aims to fill the bus from top to bottom with donated goods. The program runs concurrent with National Make-A-Difference Day.

Stuff the Bus is looking for the following items:

• Quick Ready-to-eat meals
• Canned ravioli and spaghetti
• Canned chicken, tuna, and ham
• Canned chili
• Canned stew
• Hearty soups
• Boxed meals
• Canned fruits and vegetables
• Canned or bottle fruit juices
• Peanut butter
• Hot and cold cereal
• Juice boxes
• Dried fruits
• Jam and jelly
• Pancake mix
• Syrup
• Snack bars
• Coffee
• Tea
• Applesauce
• Ketchup
• Cooking oil
• Mayonnaise
• Marinades
• Salad dressings
• Cleaning products
• Laundry detergent
• Plastic garbage bags
• Zip-top bags
• Paper towels
• Napkins
• Tissues toilet paper
• Personal hygiene items 

The pantry asks that all items have expiration codes through at least Dec. 12, 2013. Expired items cannot be distributed.