BRATTLEBORO — (1)The annual “Fill the Bus” event, held by Project Feed the Thousands, will take place on Friday, Dec. 16, at Hannaford Supermarket on Putney Road from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. WTSA 96.7 and Rewind 92.7 will both be broadcasting live, and everyone is encouraged to stop by.
“We have a long way to go to meet this year's goals and desperately need everyone's help,” Kelli Corbeil, co-chair of the annual campaign, said in a news release. “Project Feed the Thousands is currently at risk of not reaching its goals, so this event comes at a critical time. We are hoping to have the greatest collection day ever. We need to have the greatest collection day ever.”
“To date, the campaign has raised only $40,000 towards its goal of $100,000,” said Celina Ayers, vice president at 802 Credit Union. “We process all of the payments that come in during the campaign, and we are definitely running behind.”
George Haynes, Project Feed the Thousands co-founder, added, (2)“Last year, at this same time, we had raised nearly $80,000. Since Project Feed began 29 years ago, I don't recall being this far behind at this point in the campaign. Clearly inflation is having an impact. The need is greater than ever before, and falling short of our goal is simply not an option.”
“We desperately need everyone who is able, to give what they can, even if it's only a little,” said John Sciacca, co-chair of Project Feed's board. “The high costs of goods, from groceries to gas, is hitting everyone hard, and we understand that some who have given in the past might not be able to do so this year. We simply ask that everyone do whatever they can, if they can, no matter how big or how small.”
“This is a major fundraiser for us,” said Corbeil. “Students play a vital role in our campaign, and we couldn't do this without their support. They have been holding food drives for the past several weeks, and the culmination of their efforts occurs when they bring everything they have collected to 'fill the bus.' We'll also have numerous business owners and individuals stopping by all day long, and we couldn't do this without their support either. (3)We need everyone's support if we have any hope of achieving our goals.”