Did You Stuff A Bus?

Did you see one of Montgomery County's big, blue Ride On buses parked in a prime spot in front of Whole Foods on Rockville Pike yesterday? It was there as part of an event in support of Manna Food Center, one of the region's most important food banks.

The County had donated four buses to Manna's "Stuff A Bus" food drive, while Whole Foods agreed to donate 5% of its receipts to the cause. People from all over the county brought bags of food to stuff the buses.

As the economy continues to cool and people are hit with more and more anxiety, local agencies to help people struggling to make ends meet are seeing a distinct rise in their numbers. April last year, according to the Washington Post, Manna served 1,700 families. This year, April brought 2,263 families through the doors.

Elsewhere throughout the region, food banks can barely keep items on the shelves -- the need is so great that they are gone almost as soon as they arrive.

You can help by donating food and money to these important direct-response agencies. Manna, which is marking its 25th year, is an especially well-run enterprise with 94% of donations going straight to food aid. Manna reports that every $1 donated becomes $5 worth of food for families who are in need. From their web site:

• A $25 contribution provides a family of four with five days of emergency food.
• A $75 gift funds trucks and drivers so that they can collect 4,000 pounds of edible, nutritious food from local grocery stores, food that instead of being tossed in a dumpster will feed 50 families.
• A $150 donation allows Manna to deliver bread to 25 low-income communities.

Want to donate? Good for you. Here is information about how to give money, and here is how to give food. (To drop off, you just need to take the food here.)