StarMetro’s ‘Stuff the Bus’ food drive helps those in need

James Barnes

Ramsey Sims

By  Ramsay Sims and James Barnes
Special to the Outlook

In the Big Bend, one in five adults – and one in four children – experience hunger on a regular basis. To help combat this problem, StarMetro, the City of Tallahassee’s public transit system, and Second Harvest of the Big Bend have teamed up again this year to host the annual “Stuff the Bus” food drive. From now through Feb. 28, non-perishable food donations will be accepted on StarMetro buses and at more than 40 locations across Tallahassee as part of the drive. Donations will benefit Second Harvest and its mission to fight hunger in the 11-county Big Bend region.

 
Typically, the months of February and March are slow in terms of food donations, so the drive aims to supplement donations and close the gap during these slower months. Over the past year, Second Harvest distributed more than six million meals to those in need and provides enough food to feed more than 55,000 people each month. Nevertheless, there’s much more work to be done – the number of people who experience hunger in the region is more than twice that amount.

 
And hunger can have a profound negative impact on those who experience it. It can impact a child’s ability to learn and focus in school and can impair physical development. For adults, hunger can affect productivity at work. Food-insecure seniors are 60 percent more likely to suffer from depression and 53 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack. Hunger doesn’t discriminate and it has no stereotype.

 
Through the “Stuff the Bus” drive, anyone in the Tallahassee area has the opportunity to play an important role in the fight against food insecurity. Last year’s drive received almost 2,000 pounds of food donations, in addition to cash donations from StarMetro’s business partners. These contributions helped Second Harvest provide 2,244 meals to local Tallahassee families.

 
Let’s continue looking out for each other by helping those who are most in need in our community. For more information about how you can help “Stuff the Bus,” including a full list of food donation drop-off locations, visit the StarMetro website at Talgov.com/StarMetro.

 
Ramsay Sims is Board President at Second Harvest of the Big Bend. He can be reached at Sims.Ramsay@ccbg.com.
James Barnes is Chief Customer Officer at the City of Tallahassee. He can be reached at James.Barnes@Talgov.com.