You usually shouldn’t eat stuff you find in a dump truck, but this week, it’s fine.

The need for donated food is so great in Butler County, Ohio that the entire Public Works Department and the City of Hamilton is intending to fill up an entire dump truck with food. This will ultimately be given back to the people who live and work in Hamilton.

Public Works Director Jim Williams says the planning for this event has been going on for 4.5 months now. Though dump trucks are usually used for hauling around gravel, mulch or tools, this week it’s going to be hauling around food to help those in need.

Donations started early this morning. Sponsors of this event are hoping to receive non-perishable items like cereals, canned goods, peanut butter and toiletries. All of these items will stock shelves at Serve City, one of the area’s largest food pantries.

The donations come at a particularly critical time. According to Williams, “this is kind of a low point in the year for them. So in essence, the timing of our National Public Works Week Association Food Drive is perfect for them because they get a lot of food donations during the holidays, but during the summer months, things tend to dwindle, so now we’re basically filling a void.”

The crews know that filling up the dump trucks completely is a tall order, but they’re hoping locals will will meet the needs for the community – and especially, the children.

Williams says, “We want to provide our children, especially here in the City of Hamilton, with the nutrients they need to continue to grow and strive and be productive good citizens.”

You can donate to crews at the east side Kroger from 8 AM to 2 PM on Tuesday and at the west side Kroger on Wednesday from 8 AM to 2 PM. The big donation to Serve City will occur on Friday.