Help the needy at Stuff the Bus events

The seventh annual Stuff the Bus program takes place at 14 grocery stores throughout Fairfax County Jan. 14-Feb. 20.

The program, a joint effort of Fairfax County government, local grocery stores, and nonprofit organizations, is aimed at restocking food pantries for those in need.

A Fastran bus staff by MV Transportation personnel will park at a different grocery store parking lot every Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., to collect food donations from the public. See the full schedule here.

On Saturday, Feb. 11, Stuff the Bus will be at the Annandale Giant, 7127 Columbia Pike. Food dropped off at that location will go the food pantry operated by the Annandale Christian Community for Action.

This is the time of year when food donations tend to drop to the lowest point of the year. So the public’s help is needed to ensure no one goes hungry.

While Fairfax County is one of the wealthiest counties in the country, there are plenty of people here in need of assistance. Since 2008, the number of food stamp recipients has increased by more than 108 percent. During the 2015-16 school year, 8.2 percent of students in grades 8, 10, and 12 reported going hungry due to a lack of food in the home.