For the fourth straight year, Bigelow Laboratory and the Boothbay Region YMCA participated in the “Fill the Bus” promotion to feed local needy families.

On Dec. 1, as part of “Giving Tuesday,” the two nonprofit organizations collected donated food in the Boothbay Harbor Hannaford parking lot.

“Fill the Bus” collects non-perishable items for the Boothbay Region Food Pantry housed in the Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church.

The two nonprofits partner twice a year to gather food for the local pantry. Volunteers collected food from noon to 6 p.m.

“It seems like a good time to do this,” said Y Youth and Member Coordinator Logahn Walker. “People are going into Hannafords. They see the bus and donate a couple bags when they come out.”

Winter is a busy time for the food pantry. “Fill the Bus” provides the pantry with a ready supply of food as demand grows during the winter months.

“There is a lot of seasonal employment in the region. So demand nearly doubles in the winter,” said Boothbay Region Food Pantry co-president Fleet Davies. “We’re open every week and this helps us make it happen.”

The pantry provides boxes of food to local families every Friday. “Fill the Bus” helps the organization meet the needs of low-income families on a weekly basis. It also assists the pantry in providing local families with a holiday meal.

“Each Thanksgiving and Christmas, we provide a special box with everything needed for a holiday meal. It also includes a coupon to purchase a turkey or ham from Hannaford’s,” Davies said.

Bigelow Laboratory researcher Amy Wyeth was one of 20 employees participating in the promotion. She believes “Fill the Bus” is a great way for the nonprofit to assist the community.

“It’s a good cause,” she said. “It helps a lot of people right here in the Boothbay region during the holiday season. And it’s a way to give back to the community and it’s just the right thing to do.”

The promotion ended at 6 p.m. The volunteers drove the mini-bus to the church and unloaded the contents into the pantry.