Crowded buses are taking a whole new meaning this weekend.

Instead of packing students on buses, local businesses are teaming together to stuff a Cy-Ride bus with food for the Mid-Iowa Community Action food pantry in Ames.

The Iowa State Daily, the Ames Tribune, CyRide and KCCQ have partnered up to “Stuff the Bus.” Copyworks, Cub Foods, Fareway, Hy-Vee and the Government of the Student Body are also sponsoring the event.

The goal of the campaign is to involve both the Ames community and the ISU community to make food donations that will be distributed to the local food pantry, said Lisa Flammang, senior in advertising and co-chairwoman for the “Stuff the Bus” campaign.

According to a flyer distributed by the campaign, about 35 families visit the food pantry each week and over 1,200 items are needed on average.

“[The campaign] is to raise awareness that there is a need in the Ames community for food donations,” said Susan Kloewer, senior in advertising and co-chairwoman of the event.

Kloewer said she hopes “Stuff the Bus” can be an annual event.

This year organizers are looking to fill boxes in every seat of one CyRide bus, and they hope next year they can fill more buses, Kloewer said.

Non-perishable foods and canned goods can be donated between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Friday at the Memorial Union booth and between noon and 7 p.m. at the Fareway store. Between 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, the bus will be at Cub Foods , and donations can be made from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at both Hy-Vee locations.

— Krista Burich