Stuff the Bus diaper drive raises goal to 150,000

This month, Skip Bondour plans to sleep on the side of U.S. 280. For nine days, from Sept. 8-17, motorists will be able to see him — and his tent — on top of a renovated bus in front of the Target shopping center.

The strange sleeping situation is part of Revolt Ministries’ Stuff the Bus campaign, in partnership with Birmingham-based Bundles of Hope Diaper Bank. Bondour travels the Southeast working to “stuff the bus” with items such as diapers or toys. 

“One of the things that we do when we come to any town, whether we’re stuffing the bus with diapers in Birmingham or toys in Panama City … our hope is to create a level of excitement about what we’re doing there, that draws people in,” Bondour said. 

Over the last two years, the Stuff the Bus diaper drive has collected more than a quarter million diapers — 117,000 in the first year and 134,000 in 2016. 

Bundles of Hope distributes around 25,000 diapers a month, and they hope to supply the nonprofit for several months, Bondour said.

“Our goal is 150,000 diapers this year, and their distribution for a year is a little over double that,” he said. “So our hope is that, in these nine days, we can collect enough diapers to sustain what they send out for six months.”

People are welcome to bring diaper or monetary donations during the drive, and with a brightly colored bus parked on the side of the road, Bondour hopes people will feel compelled to run into the store and grab diapers to donate. They accept diapers from newborn size to pull-ups, and Bondour encourages people to not only buy the box with the largest diaper count — those are typically newborn-sized.

“There’s really a need for sizes 4, 5, 6 and pull-ups,” he said. “But we don’t want to neglect the other sizes, too, because that pendulum can easily swing the other way.” 

Donations will be accepted at all hours of the day, Bondour said.

“People can honk their horn [at night]. I’ll roll out of my tent and grab those diapers,” Bondour said. “Honestly, I’ll go sleep deprived for nine days.”

For more information, go to stuffthebus.org.