Combining for the Community
WOWT, Methodist Hospitals, Two Men and a Truck, and the Society of St Vincent de Paul partnered to make this one of the best Stuff the Bus drives ever. We combined the annual toy drive of Two Men and a Truck with the Stuff the Bus food drive and were amazed by the community's generosity.
Brandon Schmidt from WOWT coordinated the effort while Brian Beadle and his team, along with Pat Dytrych and Andy Meadow from the SVdP Thrift Stores, managed the logistics. Both Methodist locations were perfect for the greater Omaha community to do their part.
Omahans filled 85 4x4x5-foot boxes: 56 boxes of food and 39 boxes of toys. The toys are distributed through the Toys for Tots program, Juan Diego Center, and Sarpy County Human Services into the hands of 2,200 children in Omaha.
About 33,600 pounds of canned and dry goods were donated. Our pantry will add meat, produce and milk so that we can provide about 2½ meals per family of four to 8,000 families this winter.
It shows that businesses and the Omaha community know what it takes to work together to bring the right things to the right place at just the right time. SVdP and our partners continue to help neighbors in need, showing them that God is active, and looks out for them when times are difficult.