Stuff the Bus 2018 is a Community Wide Success!
By Susan Stone
On Saturday, July 21st, the third annual Stuff the Bus community event proved to be a rousing success. With over 1,890 pounds of food, toiletries, and cleaning supplies, 441 individual paper products and 1,523 baby Diapers donated by the very generous Pawling Community, the Pawling Resource Center has been able to restock its food pantry shelves during what is traditionally a lean time of year for food bank patrons. Additionally, over $400 was donated from charitable shoppers and well-wishers. All of this good will provided a 10% increase in needed items and donations over last year’s event collections.
Stuff the Bus, a joint project of The Pawling Rotary Club, Hannaford’s, The Pawling Central School District, and the Resource Center, inspires not only generosity of giving, but generosity of heart, as well. This year saw a record number of volunteers participating
Hannaford Managers Olhae Kosh and Sam Lundgren, along with their staff organized the needed products within the store and made a generous donation of goods to the food pantry.
CSEA bus drivers, Yvette Gerard, Renee Boo, Paul Stoveland, Cameron Kemmer, Kevin Richard, Pam Rooney and Sue Morgan were on hand to help load the PCSD school bus that was parked just outside of Hannaford’s entrance.
Rotary members Coleen Snow, Lori Johnson, Jeff Asher, Ann Godesky, Margot Jacobs and Brian Avery were on hand as well, along with PRC Board members Dorlaine Mclaughlin Judy and Sue Smith. PRC staff member Yajaira Garcia and her children Valeria and Esteban Rivera worked hard to organize, load and unload the bus with PRC volunteers Jason Vail and Justin Schmidt.
Other Stuff the Bus volunteers who helped unload at the PRC included Debbie Malanchuk from the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), Deb, Kate and Cary Kessler, all Children of the American Revolution and members of the Scouting community. The Scouts were well represented among the day’s volunteers, with Keven Greco and children Kevin, Abby and Matt all responsible for making this a remarkably successful event.
A video taken of the day is available on the Pawling Resource Center Facebook page. Log onto the PRC website to learn about upcoming events and ways to volunteer. www.pawlingresourcecenter.org.
