A long-standing rivalry between the Camas and Washougal communities has sparked enough generosity to feed hundreds of area families for the next year.

Friday night marked the culmination of the third annual Stuff the Bus event between the Camas Papermakers and Washougal Panthers. For weeks, students from the two high schools appealed to business owners, teachers, parents and fellow students in their districts to raise money and collect nonperishable items to help three local nonprofit groups.

All day Friday, students made last-ditch efforts to collect donations — one Camas student dressed as an elf collected $300 on a street corner — and stuffed the cans of green beans and boxes of macaroni and cheese into seven school buses. And Friday night, the buses were weighed on scales at Exterior Woods in Washougal.

For the second time in three years, Camas High School was crowned Stuff the Bus champion. The Papermakers collected 40,240 pounds of food, 10 percent more than the 36,560 pounds they brought in last year when they lost to Washougal High School.

“Wow, I’m really honored to represent such a generous community,” said Lucas Smith, Camas senior and associated student body president, as he held the event trophy. “It feels amazing”

Together, the two communities collected 71,220 pounds of food this year. And students from both schools insist the event isn’t about winning or losing, it’s about making a difference in their communities.

“I think the end result is the great thing, regardless of who wins,” Camas senior Keira Alkema said. “It says something about the community. It shows we still care.”

In the past three years, the two communities have collected 192,000 pounds of food to benefit the Children’s Home Society of Washington, Inter-Faith Treasure House and the C.A.R.O.L. Program.

Last year’s donation to the Children’s Home Society provided the nonprofit organization with enough food to serve 200 families for an entire year, said Washougal junior Kirstin Peterson, head of the event for her school.

“I’m less concerned with winning this,” she said. “I just want to get enough food to last until we do this next year.”

The Camas-Washougal Business Alliance pitched the idea for Stuff the Bus to the associated student bodies of both high schools three years ago. That first year, the two communities collected 49,000 pounds of food.

Even though the event is coined as a competition between the Washougal and Camas high schools, students at both schools agree it’s always been a communitywide effort.

This year, local Burgerville and McDonald’s restaurants held school nights, contributing 10 to 20 percent of proceeds to the event. Shoppers at local grocery stores gave students money or canned food as they stood outside collecting donations. And three area radio stations plugged the event on air for weeks.

Even with the event’s success, the students have their eyes set on making next year’s Stuff the Bus, and those that follow, even bigger.

“I’d like to come back and see that it’s spread to other communities,” Washougal senior Crystal Denny said.

Lucas said he hopes to work with the countywide Inter-service Walk & Knock food drive.

Whether the event stays local or expands, and whether a school wins or loses, the students in Camas and Washougal insist Stuff the Bus will always be about giving back.

“It may always be a competition between the two schools,” said Camas junior Max Goss. “But we always knew it would help both communities.”

Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.

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