STUFF THE BUS 2022 RECAP

It takes a lot to get ready for the school year, and with rising costs and supply issues, it’s only getting more difficult. Backpacks, notebooks, pencils, calculators—and that doesn’t include the things teachers need to keep a well-run classroom like tissues, wet wipes, and paper towels. Meanwhile, 35% of households in our community struggle to afford their most basic needs, let alone new school supplies for their children. During these unprecedented times, they need our help now more than ever.

STUFF THE BUS IS HOW WE HELP STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
START THE SCHOOL YEAR STRONG.

Each year, Heart of West Michigan United Way organizes Stuff the Bus, a school and classroom supply collection drive, to support local schools, teachers, and students. By coming together during the summer, we can ease the increasing financial burden that back-to-school shopping brings and ensure our students have the tools they need to get ready to learn and succeed.

From the end of July through the beginning of August, this year’s drive offered donors options to shop for supplies both online and in person. Our thanks to Forest View Hospital, HUB International, Macatawa Bank, and PowerStrength Training Systems for serving as public drop-off sites. We’d also like to recognize both Target and Meijer for their generous contributions.

Then, on Tuesday, August 9, our staff traveled around in two yellow school buses to pick up donations at organizations across West Michigan. We brought all the supplies to the gym at César E. Chávez Elementary for volunteers to sort and pack.

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Combined with the items from our online store,

we collected more than 25,000 school and classroom supplies!

We distributed these items to area schools just in time for the new school year to start.

This year’s drive benefits 15 schools across four Kent County districts:

• Alpine Elementary School

• Appleview Elementary School

• Buchanan Elementary School

• Burton Elementary

• Campus Elementary School

• César E. Chávez Elementary

• Coit Creative Arts Academy

• Crestwood Middle School

• Dickinson Academy Cultural Center

• Gerald R. Ford Academic Center

• Pinewood Middle School

• Ridgeview Elementary School

• Southwest Elementary School
  Academia Bilingüe

• Union High School

• Valleywood Middle School

A huge thank you to all the teams that ran collection drives, our volunteers, and everyone who donated supplies to make Stuff the Bus such a success. You made a huge difference to our teachers and students in need, and we’re so grateful for your support!

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If you’d like to participate in one of our upcoming collection drives or days of service, visit our volunteer page for more information.