Haul Away Hunger drives in 170 tons of food for those in need

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- With the holidays coming up, it has been another huge success story for Philabundance thanks to the Tri-state Toyota Dealers.

"Hunger isn't just a problem in the Philadelphia area, it's a crisis that impacts about one in five people," says Philabundance spokesperson Stefanie Arck-Baynes. "So, 20 percent of our neighbors go to bed every night not knowing where their next meal is coming from.

And that's why the sight of a convoy of Toyota Tundras snaking into the Citizens Bank parking lot on Friday was so important. In all there were 75 trucks, each packed with pallets of food that will help feed those of our neighbors facing hunger.

As the trucks rolled in, volunteers emptied the beds of some 170 tons of food and loaded it into the Philabundance trailers waiting nearby.

It's the eleventh year the Tri-State Toyota Dealers and its partners have helped put the "drive" in food drive. 6abc is one of those partners.

"You think of people who need food, that are food deprived, and you think of people that are homeless and sleeping under a bridge. It's not," said Paul Muller, president of the Tri-state Toyota Dealers Association. "These are people that work who through no fault of their own in many cases have fallen upon hard times."

The food collected on Friday will allow Philabundance to serve about 350,000 meals across the Delaware Valley.

Stefanie Arck-Baynes says while this event is a huge help, she encourages the public to help in smaller ways.

"They can donate. For every one dollar donated we can provide two meals to help feed those in need, and even something as simple as following our Facebook page and sharing our news, helping us spread the word about hunger, so we can help find solutions to helping feed those in need," Arch-Baynes said.

Philabundance serves 90,000 meals every week, and officials say the food collected Friday will end up on tables as early as next week, and definitely making for some delicious Christmas dinners.

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