photos by David Halterman

Durangoans showed they still have a heart even in tough times, as they turned out en masse to Stuff the Bus last Saturday at the Wal-Mart Parking lot. The annual event, which is sponsored by 99.7 The Point, crammed several tons of nonperishable food items into the 40-foot school bus. The goods will be distributed to those in need via local organizations including the VOA, Durango Community Shelter, and the Durango Food Bank, whose shelves were bare that very morning.

Cadence Parsons donates food on Saturday. John Gamble, director of the Volunteers of America, one of the bus recipient organization, carries two armloads of food onto the bus. John Gamble, of the VOA, graciously receives a bag of food from a drive-by donator. In addition to eatables, the United Way also accepted monetary donations, including a $5,000 check from Alpine Bank. Irie Sentner and his father, Lee, make a donation aboard the bus on Saturday. An onlooker checks out the food-laden schoolbus. Food filled every seat, floors and the overhead bins by the end of the day. Bruce and Nancy Ehlenbeck exit the bus in an orderly fashion after dropping off their donations on Saturday morning.