Local nonprofit Food Finders and celebrity chef Rahm Fama will team up next Monday to challenge community members to stock a school bus in collaboration with the nonprofit’s annual “Summer to End Hunger” summer food drive, officials announced.

Fama—who is the host of the Food Network’s Meat & Potatoes show and a resident of Long Beach—will ride with local school kids and encourage businesses and residents to donate canned goods and non-perishable food at four different stops as part of the collective effort to “Fill that Bus!” 

Fama and the children will ride in a 34-foot-long school bus donated for the day by First Baptist Church of Long Beach.

“Ending hunger—especially childhood hunger—is a cause near and dear to my own heart,” said Fama in a statement. “I have always supported the work that Food Finders does, and look forward to being a part of and supporting this exciting mobile food drive and challenge. I’m confident we will be able to fill the bus with food to distribute to those less fortunate in our community.”

The stops on Monday, July 20, include:

• Downtown Long Beach Promenade, between 1st Street and Broadway, from 9:00 to 9:45AM.
• Simmzy’s Pub, 5271 East 2nd Street, Belmont Shore, from 10:00 to 10:45AM.
• Douglas Park, parking lot at the corner of Schaufele Avenue and East Conant Street, Long Beach, from 11:00 to 11:45AM.
• Noon to 12:45PM, Food Finders headquarters and warehouse at 3744 North Industry Avenue, Lakewood.

“Many local businesses like Simmzy’s Pub have already been collecting canned goods since the summer food drive began on May 1st,” announced Patti Larson, executive director of Food Finders. “Having celebrity Chef Rahm Fama be involved and making this a one-day mobile drive will only help to call greater attention to the concern of hunger in our own community and get more local businesses involved in our annual summer food drive.”

Food Finders’ summer food drive allows for low-income children to have access to nutritious food when school is not in session, according to a release.

The food will be sorted, boxed and delivered to local pantries, Boys and Girls clubs, youth centers and shelters that serve primarily families with children.

The annual food drive will run through August 31.

A complete list of needed items can be found at www.foodfinders.org.

Flyers provided by Food Finders.