Capital Metro and Whole Foods Market launched the Stuff the Bus food drive three years ago with a goal to fill one bus with donated food. Now that goal is to fill three buses of food for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas.

The food drive will be Dec. 11-13, Capital Metro will have the buses at three Austin Whole Foods locations: downtown at 525 N. Lamar Blvd.; The Domain, in North Austin at 11920 Domain Drive; and Arbor Trails in Southwest Austin at 4301 W. William Cannon Drive.

“This is the highlight of the year for Capital Metro and one of our signature community events,” Capital Metro President and CEO Linda Watson said. “As you know every year thousands of Central Texans go hungry. They are struggling to get nutritious healthy meals, and it’s no different this year.”

This year’s goal is to donate 40,000 meals to CAFB, an increase from last year’s goal to donate 30,000 meals. Also new this year, two companies whose products are sold in Whole Foods volunteered to donate food.

Vital Farms will donate 5,000 pounds of eggs to CAFB. The company has donated more than two million eggs to CAFB to date. Hot Dang Grain Burgers will donate 1,400 pounds of its meat-free burgers.

“I visited the Capital Area Food Bank for the first time about 10 years ago, and I was so moved by the magnitude of hunger in our community,” Hot Dang Founder Martha Pincoffs said. “I was born and raised here so it’s important to me that our families don’t go hungry. It is truly an honor and a joy to participate in this and have Hot Dang be a part of filling that need.”

She encouraged other Austin food makers to step up and donate food to this year’s drive.

CAFB President and CEO Hank Perret said the organization distributes food through 300 partner agencies in 21 counties, serving areas from Waco to San Marcos and Fredericksburg to College Station. Last year the organization distributed enough food to provide 30 million meals to those in need, he said, adding that figure is still short by about 30 percent.

“Having collaborations like this so important,” he said. “… It’s innovations like [Stuff the Bus] and collaborations like that that allow us to be able to serve those in the community in need.”

Perret said it would be ideal to recreate this type of collaboration during other times of the year when the need for food is just as great.

“This time of year is when people are most philanthropic and giving, but the need for food is throughout the year,” he said.