DART Launches Stuff the Bus Food Drive

The 29th annual Thanksgiving food drive, run with the Food Bank of Delaware, seeks 15,000 pounds of non-perishable items.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Philanthropy

Wide daytime view of a bus parked in a suburban grocery lot beside open wooden donation crates under overcast autumn sky. — DART and the Food Bank of Delaware launched the 29th annual Stuff the Bus drive, seeking 15,000 pounds of food by Saturday. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you plan to donate food to a local drive this holiday season?

DART and the Food Bank of Delaware have launched the 29th annual Stuff the Bus Thanksgiving food drive. The campaign runs until Saturday and aims to collect 15,000 pounds of non-perishable food and essential items.

Why it matters

The drive is intended to ensure families in need across Delaware have access to Thanksgiving meals. Donated items are distributed to households statewide through the Food Bank.

The campaign has a goal of 15,000 pounds of non-perishable food and essential items, collected over the drive's run. Its partnership between DART and the Food Bank of Delaware marks 29 consecutive years, and final collection totals have not yet been reported.

The players

DART

DART is the public transit agency serving Delaware, which has run its bus-based donation drive with the Food Bank of Delaware for 29 consecutive years.

Food Bank of Delaware

The Food Bank of Delaware is the state's largest hunger-relief organization, distributing donated food to families in need across the state.

The details

DART brings its bus onsite to grocery stores statewide, where shoppers can donate canned goods, dry goods, and beans with protein. Donations are gathered as items that would make a complete family meal and are then distributed to families in need across Delaware.

Stuff the Bus collection runs through Saturday, November 7, 2026.

Philanthropy Context

The Stuff the Bus campaign extends a 29-year partnership between DART and the Food Bank of Delaware, a long-running model of using transit infrastructure to collect food donations statewide. The drive follows the Food Bank's established Thanksgiving distribution network, now in its 29th consecutive year.

Residents can donate non-perishable food such as vegetables, dry goods, and beans with protein at participating grocery stores where the DART bus is parked through Saturday. Donations are most useful when packed as items that make up a complete family meal.

The takeaway

Small, practical donations of shelf-stable staples add up across a statewide drive and directly support holiday meals for families who need them. Checking which items the Food Bank is currently accepting before donating helps ensure your contribution is useful.