OAK CREEK - — Shoppers at the Pick N' Save off South 27th Street in Oak Creek could be seen piling food into a Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus on Wednesday.
It's a holiday tradition that is now in its 25th year. The food is headed for a local Feeding America warehouse to help make sure area families don't go hungry during the winter months ahead.
The goal this year is to collect 25,000 pounds of donated food. Donations help Feeding America purchase the items at the top of the wish list for food pantries across southeast Wisconsin.
"We definitely love our peanut butter. That is the number one requested donation," said Melanie Biertzer, a volunteer coordinator with Feeding America.
After two years of the "Stuff the Bus" event being virtual, organizers say it's wonderful to see and thank donors in person.
"My favorite, most touching story today is about a little girl, 7-years-old named Hannah," said Jessecca Miller, with Feeding America. "She'd been saving up her allowance all year. She purchased a whole cart full of groceries and then gave us some cash on top of it."
Outside, encouraging shoppers to donate, we met 9-year-old Marcus Hettiger. He decided to spend his day off of school standing in front of the grocery store. He said, after an hour of playing video games that morning it was time to go do something good.
"I'm just trying to help them out in any way I can," he added.
You can text "STUFF 22" to 41-444 or donate online by visiting the Feeding America website.
