Fill a Bag, Fill a Bus December 2023 Recap: Thank you for Donating!

Wednesday, December 6, and Thursday, December 7, CW26 and MeTV FM were at Jewel-Osco asking you to fill our CTA bus with nonperishable food for families in need this holiday season. And once again, you filled that bus, Chicago! Thanks to your generosity, we were able to provide thousands of meals to the Greater Chicago Food Depository and its partner pantries, Together We Cope and Beyond Hunger. Thank you to everyone who donated. Whether it was a monetary or food donation, you made a positive impact by helping our food insecure neighbors.

Special thanks to our partners Jewel-Osco, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Butcher Boy Cooking Oils, and the CTA for your continued support in this event as well as Together We Cope and Beyond Hunger for joining us on site to collect donations.

Also, HUGE thanks to Chicago native, Steve Wilkos, for braving the cold with us in River Forest, donating, and helping us build awareness.

If you didn’t get a chance to stop by Jewel-Osco, check out exclusive photos from the event below!


Day 1: Jewel-Osco, 4650 W. 103rd St. Oak Lawn

- Members of partner pantry, Together We Cope posing in front of the CTA bus

- George Blaise shooting on-air promos to promote the food drive

- Volunteers from Together We Cope and the Greater Chicago Food Depository

- Team photo from the end of day 1 with all the donations in the bus



Day 2: Jewel-Osco, 7525 W. Lake St. River Forest

- Butcher Boy Cooking Oil's merch table 

- Members of partner pantry, Beyond Hunger joined by Camerin from the Greater Chicago Food Depository

- George Blaise, Jon Hansen, and Brandon Pope shooting on-air promos promoting the food drive

- Volunteers from the Greater Chicago Food Depository

- Steve Wilkos is here!

- Steve Wilkos and George Blaise snap a pic with volunteers from Euro Monitor

- Steve Wilkos and wife, Rachelle shopping for canned goods at Jewel-Osco

- Steve loading his donations onto the bus

- Final photo featuring all of the donations from day 2 on the bus