Buses Turn Into Mobile Food Collectors for Holiday Season

Large plastic milk crates appeared inside the buses rolling through Contra Costa County on Monday, signaling the start of an annual holiday tradition.

County Connection, the Concord-based company that manages bus services in the area, is collecting non-perishable food for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.  Passengers who want to donate food can bring them on the bus and put them in the crate for the next two weeks.  The annual food drive started almost 30 years ago as an opportunity for people with plenty to share what’s in their pantry with hungry people.

Bus riders and County Connection employees donated more than 1,100 pounds of food in 2012. Food Bank officials are asking people to steer clear of donating items in glass containers given their tendency to break while in transit. They said the items they need the most are protein sources such as canned meats, peanut butter, and iron rich cereals. They also need pastas, dried beans, and 100 percent fruit juices. 

Lary Sly, executive director of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, said he is grateful that the company has continued to work for the past few decades.

“The need for nutritious, wholesome food grows each year, and it’s good to know that County Connection will help feed people at the same time they are transporting people,” Sly said.

The crates will be on the buses until Dec. 15.