COMMUNITY – Two ‘stuff it’ events to gather Xmas food and gift donations

Folks in the mood to stuff it will have a couple of opportunities to do just that during the holiday season.

Tomorrow, Saturday, Nov 29, Kamloops RCMP and crime prevention volunteers will accept food and gift items at their annual Stuff the Cruiser event. Then, on Dec. 6 and 7, the City will hold its yearly Stuff the Bus fundraiser.

From 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday, police and crime prevention volunteers will be parked outside Superstore in Sahali for Stuff the Cruiser. Items received will be delivered to Christmas Amalgamated, which will sort and deliver them to families throughout the city.

“Spreading the holiday cheer just by dropping in and saying hello to our volunteers and Sgt. Safety Bear is a great way to support this event,” said Sandro Piroddi, coordinator of the Kamloops RCMP Crime Prevention Unit. “Every year we are overwhelmed with the generosity of the community to support this event.”

A new option this year for those looking for something different will be a $5 gift card to go towards the purchase of a turkey as part of a family dinner.

Last year’s event collected about $365 in cash and over 2,000 items that were distributed to local children and youth through holiday hampers.

Anyone who would like to contribute but is unable to attend the event can drop unwrapped donations off at the North Shore Community Policing Office, 915 7th Street between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (closed from noon to 1:00 p.m.). For more information, call 250-376-5099.

Meanwhile, in partnership with BC Transit, the City of Kamloops will host the annual Stuff the Bus fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 6 and Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at the Columbia Square Save-On-Foods.

The community-driven initiative supports the Kamloops Food Bank.

City staff and volunteers will be on location from 10. a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, accepting cash donations and non-perishable items with the goal of filling up a transit bus.

Since 2018, Stuff the Bus has collected more than 12,000 pounds of food and nearly $22,500 in donations to support local families in need.

The most requested items by the Kamloops Food Bank are: cereal, tomato sauce, tuna, canned fruit, canned vegetables, pasta, formula, baby food, rice, peanut butter and beans.