The annual “Stuff the Bus” United Way campaign begins on Monday, July 17th.
Donations will be accepted for USD 475 students to help those children in the district whose families who may struggle to provide the necessary items to start the school year.
Drop off locations to donate school supplies include: Millennium Bank, KS State Bank, Central National Bank, Intrust Bank, Sunflower Bank, Exchange Bank, Landmark National Bank, Keller Williams Realty, Walmart on Chestnut Street, and Dillon’s. Donations can also be dropped off at the United Way Office, 139 East 8th Street, Monday through Friday.
Nichole Mader, United Way Executive Director, said that campaign will benefit more than 60 percent of students in Geary County schools.
“We provide donations to all schools in USD 475; 60 percent of the student body for USD 475 receives free or reduced [lunch], and our goal is to provide enough supplies to cover those students.”
Various items are needed (see below), but often the items that are left out are the ones needed for older students.
“Nine times out of ten supplies come in for crayons and glue and scissors, but we also donate to the high school and we donate to the middle school,” said Mader. “Getting spiral notebooks, or composition notebooks or even the pack paper is college rule – that would help out a lot; that’s usually what I have to buy extra of at the end [of the campaign].”
The donated supplies will be distributed directly to the students in need through their respective schools.
“If there is a family that anyone knows, or if they themselves are unable to get supplies for their children – contact the school; whichever school that your child is going to go to, let them know in advance that ‘hey this is what my child doesn’t have’, because that gives [us] a list to already work on.”
For those who do not wish to shop for school supplies, financial contributions can be made. All funds generated will be spent on the purchase of additional school supplies. Checks should be made out to the United Way with “Stuff the Bus” written on the memo line. Please mail checks to United Way, P.O. Box 567, Junction City, KS 66441.
Please consider the following items when making donations:
- 3 ring binders – 2 inch
- 3×3 sticky notes
- gallon ziploc freezer bags
- black dry erase markers
- glue sticks
- clorox wipes
- hand sanitizer, 8 ounces
- quart ziploc freezer bags
- white glue, 8 ounces
- wide ruled notebook paper
- composition books
- crayola crayons, 24 pack
- #2 pencils
- kleenex, large box
- large pink erasers
- plain pocket folders
- wide ruled spiral notebooks
- yellow highlighters
- mechanical pencils
For more information on Stuff the Bus or to volunteer contact the United Way at 238-2117.