Hot temperatures over the weekend of June 22-23 didn’t stop folks from showing their generosity.
On Saturday and Sunday, the parking lots of No Frills, Sobeys and Walmart in Amherstburg each had a bus waiting to be filled with non-perishables to help people who are less fortunate, or struggling through difficult times.
Laurie Hatton is a volunteer at Be the Light Outreach Ministry, and one of the organizers of the event.
“Three years ago, after the June 24 Miracle Day, organizers announced they were no longer able to do door to door pickups of donations,” said Hatton. “I remember seeing a Fill-The-Bus event where I used to live, so I decided to carry on with that here.”
Three charitable organizations will benefit from the weekend event. Donations of food and money will be split between Amherstburg Community Services, Amherstburg Food & Fellowship Mission, and Be the Light Outreach Ministry.
From the bus in Sobeys parking lot, Jill Kanwischer, volunteer and board member at the Amherstburg Food & Fellowship Mission said, “It’s been steady, and every bit helps because prices are soaring and this helps us out so much.”
The biggest need right now is just about everything, but toiletries, toilet paper, laundry detergent, children’s snacks, paper towels, salad dressing and mayonnaise top the list. Non-perishables like soup, cereal and peanut butter are always welcome as well.
“People are very generous at Christmas time, but during the summer all of the organizations struggle to keep the food bank going. Ours is very low right now, so this is a huge blessing,” said Kanwischer.
Shannon Patterson is a volunteer with Encounter Church and was helping out over the weekend. On Sunday she was in the bus at Walmart. “It’s been great, Saturday was a little busier than Sunday because of the rain, but we’ve got a lot of donations so far, we’re getting full,” she said.
“It was the team effort that made this event such a success,” said Hatton.
Hatton extended thanks to all the volunteers, the people who donated money, the ones who donated just one item, or a cart full of items.
Switzer-Carty supplied the buses and the drivers at no charge. Hatton said the “team is a pleasure to work with, and your drivers are amazing.”
Little Buddies Daycare Center were thanked for donating food and money with Naples Pizza donating pizza Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the latter being the day food was sorted at Encounter Church. Quesada Burritos & Tacos also donated food on Monday.
Hatton also thanked CKBG radio for making announcement about the event as well as the Amherstburg Karate Club for sending volunteers Sunday to help unload boxes at the church.
“You made the task easier, and we were finished in 45 minutes,” said Hatton, of the karate club.
Encounter Church was thanked for donating all the printing services, and the space to unload and sort all of the donations. Boblo Island was thanked for allowing them to store the buses securely on Saturday night, and to Val Henderson who did porch pick-ups from the residents of the island, thank you.
Gregory Moore of Deerbrook Realty created a live video and shared it on social media and Dan Gemus gave them a shout out on AM 800.
Rick and Krista Truant from Sobeys, Rob & Tina Carr from No Frills, and the staff at Walmart were thanked for their cooperation, support, and the use of the parking lots for the entire weekend.
“Be the Light Outreach Ministry, Amherstburg Community Services, and the Amherstburg Food & Fellowship Mission all share their gratitude and want to express their sincere appreciation to everyone who helped make Fill-The-Bus 2024 so successful,” she said.
Anyone who missed the event and would like to donate, they can send an e-transfer to be.the.light.outreach.ministry@gmail.com, or go to the Amherstburg Food & Fellowship Mission website, or ACS’ website to make your donation by credit card or PayPal.
Please put “Fill-the-Bus” in the note section so donations are split between the three organizations, and people can receive a tax receipt.
If anyone wants to be involved next year, either as a volunteer, with a corporate donation, or sponsorship, or to get information, please e-mail be.the.light.outreach.ministry@gmail.com or by text at 519-996-7744.
The money raised had not reached its final count at the time of writing, but it was approximately $1,400.
Third Annual Fill-The-Bus Event Has Another Successful Year
By Donna Tuckwell
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