Bridging the Gap: Metro’s Fill-A-Bus Campaign Tackles Food Insecurity

"I'm the Godmother of the Fill-A-Bus Campaign," echoed through the speakers during an audio interview with Barbara Moulton, Metro’s Vice President of Customer Experience and Strategic Initiatives, late last month. 

The campaign, which started six years ago, aims to drive out hunger and food insecurity throughout the region. Moulton played a pivotal role in pioneering this movement.

Moulton said she was inspired by a similar initiative she had been a part of during her time at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). "I spent 24 years in Boston, and we had an annual Fill-A-Bus Toy Drive there. It was the same concept, but it focused on toys. We gave away toys to local charities within our service area," said Moulton. Inspired by this, Moulton decided to bring the same concept to Metro, where she has worked for nearly a decade.

"The organization was looking for a way to contribute to a nonprofit as an organization. The Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) seemed like a good fit for us due to the synergy between them and our customers."

According to the Capital Area Food Bank, which serves all eight wards of D.C., Northern Virginia, and some parts of Maryland, more than a million people in our community are food insecure, with almost one third being children.

"It's like one of the basic things, right? Food, clothing, and shelter. It's so basic. But you realize so many people aren't as fortunate as we are. So, it's a way to collectively pull all our energies of giving in the same direction to help our customers, the people we serve," said Moulton.

Metro’s Vice President of Bus Transportation Jewel Bell, who played an instrumental role in the partnership between Metro and CAFB, has also been involved since the very beginning – from coordinating the distribution of items to creating the pick-up schedule.

"So many people in our community depend on the Capital Area Food Bank," said Bell. "This organization provides meals to children and families for the weekend to ensure they can eat when school is closed, and they provide meals to seniors, who often do not have enough money to purchase food for the entire month."

Last year, Metro and the public raised over $14,000 for the food bank, surpassing the goal of $13,000. Along with in-person donations, this helped create 32,000 meals.

This year, the goal was to raise $15,000 and collect 5,500 pounds of food, resulting in 35,000 meals for families, seniors, and those in need.

"The goal increases each year because we consistently meet and exceed our targets," said Moulton. The campaign’s success is all thanks to Metro employees and customers who visited several donation sites over four days – including Anacostia, Fort Totten, Friendship Heights, Silver Spring, Morgan Blvd, Pentagon City, and Tysons Stations – to fill a Metrobus with healthy, unopened, non-perishable food items.

Online donations were also made through the Fill-A-Bus website, and with every $1 donated, two meals were provided. In total, Metro collected $16,126 and 1.65 tons of food, equivalent to 35,118 meals.

Just this past Monday, January 15, Metro employees and volunteers assisted with the unloading, sorting, and packing of the collected food as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service.

"Our contribution will make a difference in someone's life," said Bell.

Moulton, who prides herself as a servant leader, emphasized that food insecurity is prevalent in the DMV area, which is why this campaign will continue indefinitely.

"It's my nature, right? I'm a servant leader, and I've been in the business for decades, so I'm very familiar with the customer base. This campaign was an excellent opportunity to align two organizations that serve the same customers."

Watch a recap of the 2024 Fill-A-Bus event