MACON, Ga. — In 2023, 13WMAZ and the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank set out to make our annual Stuff the Truck food drive bigger and better than ever before.
We knew the need in our community for access to nutritious food was (and continues to be) great; MGCFB says one in seven people and one in four children in the 24 counties it serves are considered food insecure, meaning those people don't know where their next meal will come from. And we knew, together with our community, we could make a difference. And boy, did we! Last year, we collected 61,208 pounds of food and $8,740--a new record!
Our secret weapon in this fight against hunger: you!
We knew we couldn't achieve what we wanted to without going bigger and bolder--so we expanded the number of donation days and turned to our community early, starting with schools.
In the early fall, we contacted schools across Central Georgia asking them to partner with us. The concept was simple: start collecting canned foods and non-perishable items now and, in November, drop them off during our three-day, in-person Stuff the Truck event--and 13WMAZ will feature your school and students during our newscasts! In total, 35 schools joined the effort!
Just like last year, 13WMAZ hopes to make Stuff the Truck bigger and better so we can help even more people. In addition to schools hosting their own collection drives this fall, we are also partnering with the faith-based community.
If your school or faith-based organization would like to join the 2024 Stuff the Truck initiative, it's easy! Simply start collecting now and drop of your donations later this month. Here are the donation sites and times for our live broadcasts:
Tuesday, November 19 - Milledgeville
Location: Walmart - 2592 N Columbia St
Time: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Wednesday, November 20 - Dublin
Location: Walmart - 2423 US-80 West
Time: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Thursday, November 21 - Macon and Warner Robins
Location: Walmart - 5955 Zebulon Rd
Location: Walmart - 2720 Watson Blvd
Time: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. (both locations)
If you cannot get to any of our donation sites, your collection can be delivered directly to Middle Georgia Community Food Bank at 4490 Ocmulgee East Blvd., Macon between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
If your members collect so much food that it is difficult to drop off, call the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank at (478) 742-3958 to arrange a pickup.
You can also make a monetary donation by clicking here.
If you have questions about joining Stuff the Truck 2024, please call 13WMAZ's Community Content Coordinator Nicole Bailey-Covin at (478) 719-5847 or email her at nbaileycov@13wmaz.com.
