“Stuff the Bus” Benefit Concert on October 22 at Venue (881 Granville Street) is presented by 99.3 the Fox, The Georgia Straight and Landsea Tours and features all local Vancouver Bands; Exit This Side, A Single Few, AJ Woodworth, David Blair and City of Glass. Tickets are on sale now at www.clubzone.com or www.cfox.com and are $15 including door prizes and a lottery. Doors open at 8PM.

Stuff the Bus is a seven-day charity drive that sees a 24-seater bus becoming filled from the floor to the ceiling with blankets, sweaters, and other donations. Over a one week period every year a bus is parked around various locations in the Vancouver area, and residents are encouraged to come participate.

All donations and proceeds from both activities go to support the programs and services provided by St. James Community Service Society (www.sjcss.com).

Three years ago Kevin Pearce, General Manager at Landsea Tours, was watching a news story about local community members marching down Hastings Street, demonstrating about homelessness in Vancouver. Later that day he was driving through the Downtown Eastside and witnessed a couple of tourists having an intimidating interaction with a very upset homeless person. Kevin thought there also needed to be other others ways for people to listen and understand the issue of homelessness.

Kevin has worked in the tourism industry for nearly 15 years and realizes the impact incidents like this can have on the now struggling industry. Built with the belief that he should do something, we should do something, “Stuff the Bus” was created.  In the first two years four buses were filled to capacity and he is anticipating yet another successful year.

This years sponsors currently include: Landsea Tours, 99.3 the Fox, The Georgia Straight, Venue, Fastsigns, Tourism Vancouver, Harbour Air Seaplanes, Vancouver Aquarium, Grouse Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge, BC B&B Innkeepers Guild, BC Ferries, Sewells Marina, Capilano University, Advance Group, Vancouver Art Gallery, Clubzone, BC Restaurant & Foodservices Association, Butchart Gardens, St James Community Services Society and many hotels in downtown Vancouver.

Fun concert fact for NorthShore residents: 8 of the performers are Capilano University Grads and all but one of the five performing bands are NorthShore residents.

For more information, please contact: