On Nov. 12 and 13, from 5:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., the Nashville MTA and the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) will be collecting food items to send to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.
Customers are encouraged to drop off the food donations at the special “stuff the bus” displays at the Music City Central (MCC) transit station located at 400 Charlotte Avenue. Contributions will be received at a 40-foot bus positioned outside MCC on Charlotte Avenue and at a van inside MCC on the 4th Avenue level.
The first 1,000 customers to donate food items and help “stuff the bus” will receive a 1-Ride bus ticket. These will be available on a first come, first served basis. One ticket per customer will be available while supplies last.
Food donations also will be accepted on the Music City Star and at Riverfront Station. However, no 1-Ride bus tickets will be given out for the train.
The items most needed include: peanut butter, canned chicken, canned tuna, canned vegetables, canned fruit, soup, pasta and cereal.
Customers also may make cash donations for purchasing food through Metro’s virtual food drive site. Go to nashvillemta.org and click the Stuff the Bus icon to link directly to the site. Click on MTA to designate the agency being credited with the donation, and then select your donation amount. Every $1 collected equals four meals for children, families and seniors at risk of hunger.
The MTA/RTA effort is part of Metro’s annual “food fight,” the food drive led by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean’s Office aiding Second Harvest Food Bank. A Metro-wide competition to see which department can collect the most non-perishable food items during the food drive is underway. Winners will be determined by the number of pounds of food donated per agency, or by pounds of food raised per person. A “Mayor’s Cup” will be given to the three winning departments.
