“Fill the Bus” kicks off across the Valley

For the sixth year, SunLine Transit Agency’s annual food drive, “Fill the Bus” took donations for Valley charities ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Parked at three different locations, 40-foot SunLine busses were ready to be filled with food and other necessities for those in need.

“We have two storage rooms that are 20X10 and they’re empty. They’re as empty as that bus is right now,” said Teresa Dominguez, office manager at FISH Food Bank in Coachella.

FISH, along with Well in the Desert, will take home the donations — totaling in the tens of thousands of tons of food.

One bus will stock both charities for about two months, but during the holidays, it’s much less.

“Now’s the time for everybody to come out and give,” Mikel Oglesby, SunLine GM said, “but I want people to think beyond Thanksgiving. Think throughout the holidays and beyond.”

Both charities are asking for the following:

Dry and canned goods
Frozen meats Assorted trimmings New packaged toiletries
Personal hygiene products Diapers Household products

Drop-off locations include:

Stater Bros – 78630 Highway 111 # A, La Quinta (Hwy 111 & Washington)
Ralphs – 1733 East Palm Canyon Drive; Smoke Tree Village Shopping Center; Palm Springs (Hwy 111 & Sunrise Way);
Ralphs – 42150 Washington Street; Bermuda Dunes (Washington & 42nd Street)

The stores will continue to gather food through Friday morning, even after the buses have gone.

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