A 33-hour “Three Square Meals” Food-A-Thon sponsored by Ocean State Job Lot, iHeart Media and the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), and generously supported by the public, resulted in more than 105,000 pounds of food donated to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, just in time for Thanksgiving.

Led by a Providence Police escort, a convoy of three Ocean State Job Lot tractor trailers and three RIPTA buses each filled with non-perishable food items, traveled Wednesday from RIPTA headquarters on Elmwood Avenue in Providence to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank on Niantic Avenue. The convoy was met at the Food Bank by Ocean State Job Lot employees who helped unload the food.

The Three Square Meals Food-A-Thon ran from early morning on Friday, November 17 until Saturday, November 18. Three iHeart Media radio stations broadcasted live from Ocean State Job Lot stores in Coventry, Pawtucket and North Kingstown. Jocks from 94 HJY, Coast 93.3 and B 101 urged radio listeners to come to Job Lot with non-perishable food items to help fill a RIPTA bus parked at each of the three stores. Food donations also were conveniently taken at 12 other Job Lot stores located throughout Rhode Island. The in-store donations were matched by Job Lot through its Three Square Meals program.

“Ocean State Job Lot, through its Charitable Foundation, has been involved in helping alleviate food insecurity for many years through our Three Square Meals program, with in-store monetary collections and food item donations,” said David Sarlitto, executive director of Ocean State Job Lot. “We’re happy to lend our stores as collection sites in this partnership with iHeart and RIPTA. The spirit of Thanksgiving is alive and well here in Rhode Island and we want to thank everyone who supported the Food-A-Thon throughout the state.”

Andrew Schiff, CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, surrounded by Ocean State Job Lot, iHeart and RIPTA volunteers, greeted the buses and tractor trailers when they arrived. “We’re so thankful to the generous Job Lot customers and iHeart listeners who came out and filled these buses to benefit their neighbors in need,” he said.