LAKEPORT — Dozens of volunteers gathering food at 10 locations across Lake County converged on Grocery Outlet in Lakeport Saturday afternoon to “Stuff a Bus,” a part of Make a Difference Day.
Members of the all-volunteer Lake County Hunger Task Force, AmeriCorps and other volunteers gathered non-perishable food items from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hardesters Markets in Cobb and Middletown, Red & White Store in Clearlake Oaks, Riviera Foods in Clear Lake Riviera, Sentry Market in Nice, Bruno”s Foods in Lakeport, Foods Etc.-IGA in Clearlake, Safeway in Lakeport and Grocery Outlets in Clearlake and Lakeport.
The volunteers then brought it all to the Lakeport Grocery Outlet at 3 p.m. where an empty Lake Transit bus sat, waiting to be stuffed with food.
Lorrie Gray, a member of the Hunger Task Force, said this was the second year volunteers had taken part in “Stuff the Bus.” Gray said it was the 11th annual food drive for Make a Difference Day the task force had organized since its formation in January 2001. She said the volunteers decided food drives were the best way to get food to those who were without it.
Gray said a total of 6,310 pounds of food had been collected this year. She said it was down from last year”s total of 7,000 pounds but it was understandable because of the given state of the economy and folks were quite generous.
Gray said she had discussed the idea of loading a bus with donated food with Mark Wall, manager for Lake Transit, a few years ago. She said she asked Wall last year if they could partake in stuffing a bus and he agreed. She said she hoped it would be an annual part of the Make a Difference Day food drive.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14.
