DART will hold its 22^nd annual “Stuff The Bus” Thanksgiving Food Drive throughout the State starting on November 11 and ending on November 16, with a goal of collecting 20 tons of non-perishable food for Delawareans in need of food assistance.  And, we need the public’s help to achieve the goal. 

 

“Stuff The Bus” will be collecting food at seven sites throughout the State.  The site locations, collection dates, and times are:

Monday, November 11: Acme, 18578 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth, 9 AM – 4 PM

 

Tuesday, November 12: Walmart, 939 N. DuPont Highway, Milford, 8 AM – 6 PM AND

Safeway, 190 John Hunn Brown Rd., Dover, 8 AM – 6 PM         

(Corner of S. Bay Rd. at S. Little Creek Rd.)

 

Wednesday, November 13:  NEW  ShopRite of First State Plaza, 1600 W. Newport Pike, Stanton, 9 AM – 4 PM

 

Thursday, November 14: Rodney Square, Market Street side, Wilmington, 7 AM – 5 PM

 

Friday, November 15:  NEW  ShopRite of Brandywine Commons, 1300 Rocky Run Parkway, Wilmington, 9 AM – 4 PM

 

Saturday, November 16:  NEW  ShopRite of Four Seasons, 700 Plaza Dr., Newark, 9 AM – 4 PM

 

As part of our annual food drive, we’ll have live radio broadcasts; come out to meet the stations’ deejays on:

Monday, November 11: Acme in Rehoboth – Delaware 105.9 will broadcast live from 11 AM – 1 PM and The Vault 103.5/106.1 will be live from 2 PM – 4 PM

Tuesday, November 12: Walmart in Milford – EAGLE 97.7 from 6 AM – 6 PM

Tuesday, November 12: Safeway in Dover – COOL 101.3 from 6 AM – 6 PM

Wednesday, November 13: ShopRite of First State Plaza – WSTW 93.7 from 10 AM – 2 PM

Thursday, November 14: Rodney Square in Wilmington – WJBR from 11 AM – 1 PM

Friday, November 15: ShopRite of Brandywine Commons – WDEL will broadcast live from 12 PM – 4 PM

Saturday, November 16: ShopRite of Four Seasons – WJBR from 11 AM – 1 PM

 

DART also encourages the public to donate directly to the Food Bank of Delaware; if they are unable to visit any of the “Stuff The Bus” collection sites.  For more information on donating food, contact the Food Bank at 302-292-1305, or visit their website at www.FBD.org.

The Food Bank of Delaware is a nonprofit agency committed to ending hunger in Delaware.  According to the Food Bank, annually 1 in 8 people in Delaware rely on the Food Bank’s partners and programs for food assistance and 25 percent are children. 

 

The Delaware Transit Corporation, a subsidiary of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), operates DART First State.  For more information, please visit www.DartFirstState.com or call 1-800-652-DART.  Real-Time Bus Information and DART Pass, the mobile fare payment option, are both available on the free DART Transit App (iOS and Android). 

NEW CASTLE (Sept. 25, 2019) – Department of Health and Social Services employees joined together with the Food Bank of Delaware, legislators and other volunteers to distribute 30,000 pounds of non-perishable food, fresh produce and dairy products to Delawareans in need during a drive-through event today at DHSS’ Herman Holloway Campus near New Castle.

The food was made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Trade Mitigation Program, which is providing payments to American farmers for agricultural commodities impacted by trade tariffs imposed by China. In turn, the USDA is distributing those food products to food banks across the country, including the Food Bank of Delaware, through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).

Wednesday’s distribution is part of a DHSS effort to distribute more than 1,000 53-pound boxes to eligible Delawareans statewide. The boxes are filled with jars of peanut butter, cans of chickpeas, bags of walnuts and dried cranberries, canned pork, instant mashed potatoes and other non-perishable items. All of DHSS’ State Service Centers also have food boxes for distribution to Delaware residents who meet the income guidelines, and have a photo ID and proof of address.

“We are grateful for the ongoing partnership of the Food Bank of Delaware in helping us to meet the needs of vulnerable Delawareans,” said DHSS Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker, a practicing family physician. “Today’s distribution is another way we are reducing the impact of food insecurity in our state, providing families with healthy food items and making sure that no one goes hungry at their next meal.”

“Ensuring that Delawareans have access to nutritious food is a priority for us at the Food Bank of Delaware,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Patricia Beebe. “We are proud to partner with DHSS and legislators to get these boxes out into our community. With the ongoing trade mitigation, we anticipate receiving even more food from USDA. As a result, we will continue to look for more partners like DHSS to help distribute this product.”

In addition to the box of non-perishable foods, participants also received grapes, plums, potatoes, cheddar cheese and milk.

Secretary Walker thanked state Reps. Franklin Cooke and Melissa Minor-Brown, whose districts are near the Herman Holloway Campus, for volunteering at the distribution.

Legislators from across New Castle County also helped to promote the food box distribution, including state Sens. David McBride, Brian Townsend and Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman, and Reps. Ed Osienski, Kendra Johnson, Ray Seigfried, John Viola, Debra Heffernan, Cooke, Minor-Brown and others.

If you or a loved one in Delaware is struggling with food insecurity, you can be screened for and apply for food benefits at DHSS’ online portal, Delaware ASSIST:
https://assist.dhss.delaware.gov/

For more information about the Food Bank of Delaware, which distributes millions of pounds of products each year to its network of 536 hunger-relief program partners throughout the state, visit:
https://www.fbd.org/

See more photos from the event here.