Peoria Food Drive Sets 15-Ton Goal For 39th Year
The annual CityLink and Kroger partnership invites area businesses to help restock local pantries with food donations.
Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Philanthropy
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CityLink and local Kroger stores have launched the 39th annual Stuff-A-Bus food drive to support the Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service. The collaborative initiative, which recently kicked off at the 9219 N. Lindbergh Dr. Kroger, encourages shoppers to donate non-perishable items to restock local food pantries.
Why it matters
For Peoria-area operators, the campaign represents an annual opportunity to facilitate community engagement and support local food security needs. Businesses often participate in such coordinated drives to strengthen corporate social responsibility efforts alongside major regional partners.
The Stuff-A-Bus program aims to collect 15 tons of food this year, surpassing the 14 tons raised during its previous annual iteration. The drive relies on donation bins placed at participating Kroger stores throughout the Peoria area.
The players
CityLink
A public transit provider serving the Peoria metropolitan area.
Kroger
A national grocery retailer operating a network of supermarkets.
Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service
A community-focused nonprofit organization providing food and social services.
The details
The program operates through a partnership between CityLink and Kroger, leveraging the retailer's physical footprint to collect shelf-stable goods. Customers participate by purchasing non-perishable items during regular shopping trips and depositing them into designated bins at the front of stores. Collected goods are funneled to the Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service to supply its pantry operations.
Timeline
The 39th annual Stuff-A-Bus program began on October 15, 2026.
Market Landscape
The Stuff-A-Bus initiative continues a long-standing local trend of public-private partnerships aimed at addressing food insecurity. It follows the precedent of the 38th annual Stuff-A-Bus food drive, which successfully secured 14 tons of donations.
Operators with locations that experience high foot traffic can evaluate the logistics of hosting similar collection points to support local pantries. Businesses aiming to align with the initiative should coordinate with organizers to ensure donations are processed efficiently and meet the specific needs of the Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service.
The takeaway
The Stuff-A-Bus drive serves as a primary benchmark for regional corporate-charity collaboration in Peoria. Managers looking to replicate this impact should track total weight collected against the 15-ton target to gauge the effectiveness of their own community engagement strategies.
Further reading
Learn more about local community efforts in Philanthropy.
Live Poll
Do you believe annual food drives are an effective way to address food insecurity in your community?
