“This season’s food drive will be the most important in San Diego’s history,” Proclaimed Jerry Swain, a member of the Board of Directors of the San Diego Food Bank. The demand has never been greater for food donations to give an extra helping hand to our neighbors throughout San Diego. To help answer this need, Tuesday morning the San Diego Chargers, Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), Vons, and the San Diego Food Bank kicked off the “Stuff the Bus” campaign at Qualcomm Stadium.

“Stuff the Bus” is a non-perishable food drive that is running between now and this Sunday’s Chargers home game against the Philadelphia Eagles. With the rising demand for food, San Diegans that have a little extra to share are encouraged to contribute to “Stuff the Bus.” You can help by dropping off a food donation at a well-marked MTS bus that will be parked at participating Vons supermarkets in your neighborhood or at Qualcomm Stadium this Sunday.

So far this year the San Diego Food Bank has seen a 52% increase in the number of meals it has distributed in San Diego County climbing from 1.6 million to 2.4 million. According to Supervisor Ron Roberts, that is on top of a 25% increase that was seen over the previous year. Roberts said, “That is what is so frightening about this.”

With the increase the number of people served by the San Diego Food Bank has risen from an astonishing to 200,000 to a near crippling 304,000. This increase means that nearly 10% of all San Diegans get assistance from the Food Bank.

Often those receiving assistance are families who were previously considered middle class. Swain said, “The food lines are doubled and tripled.”

San Diego Food Bank Executive Director J. Scofield Hade spoke to the partnership that has been formed to help meet the rising demand for food for San Diego. “We are so grateful to MTS and the Chargers for supporting the Food Bank with these important food drives. Getting more food donated to the Food Bank will be critical this year with demand soaring. We are feeding more people than ever before, but it is due to the help of organizations like MTS and the Chargers that we are able to meet the increased need.”

Roberts agreed, “In San Diego, without the volunteer effort out of the private sector, government could not do anything. In some places they expect the government to do everything. Here there is a partnership. This is a good example: You have a government entity which is the Transit System, you have private entity which is the San Diego Chargers, and another private entity in Vons market, but at the end of the day we depend upon private individuals from all over the county to come together and make this ‘Stuff the Bus’ campaign work.”

San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson is happy to be part of the solution. “We have a great community and a great morale about people coming out and helping each other. That is one of things that I have loved since being here.”

You to can help your fellow San Diegans in need when you “Stuff the Bus” at the following locations:

• Wednesday, November 11: Vons, Balboa Avenue, 92111, 9:30 A.M. – 2:30 P.M.

• Thursday, November 12: Vons, 3610 Adams Avenue, 92116, 9:30 A.M. – 2:30 P.M.

• Friday, November 13: Vons, 3610 Adams Avenue, 92116, 9:30 A.M. – 2:30 P.M.

• Sunday, November 15: Qualcomm Stadium, Chargers vs. Eagles game, Noon - 2:30 P.M