OSKALOOSA —
This bus is stuffed with what young people need for school.
On Thursday, United Way of Mahaska County displayed a school bus stuffed with school supplies in a parking lot on South D Street. These supplies will be made available to preschool through 12th grade students countywide this coming school year.
“This has turned out to be something the community has agreed with us on because we’ve had a huge turnout,” said Katie Schippers, community impact coordinator with United Way of Mahaska County.
Schippers said it is important that United Way of Mahaska County makes the public aware of the Stuff the Bus effort.
“We’re basically publicly gathering up all of the supplies that have been collected out in the public in the public collection boxes and in the internal supply boxes and just really taking the opportunity to put this in the public eye so that it’s not flying under the radar every year,” said Schippers.
Schippers said this is the first year United Way of Mahaska County has done Stuff the Bus, adding that it will benefit Operation Backpack, which has been around for several years.
The school supplies stuffing the bus included all the items one might expect including notebooks, looseleaf paper, binders, folders, colored pencils, crayons and calculators. These supplies were collected at numerous collection boxes throughout the area, said Schippers. She said 22 area businesses also gave their employees the option to donate such items.
Although the July 13 deadline to apply to receive these supplies has past, those living anywhere in Mahaska County can contact United Way of Mahaska County at (641) 673-6043 for assistance. Households with students applying for the school supplies would have to meet guidelines related to their household income.
“We’ve had a lot of people apply that did qualify last year,” said Schippers noting that around 418 backpacks were given last year. “Also, we know that partway through the year our schools are having a really tough time keeping up with the supplies that they need for the classrooms and they’re just running out. Stuff the Bus is not only going to be working with Operation Backpack, but it’s going to be establishing a school supply closet in the district office.”
The items not used for Operation backpack will go to Oskaloosa Community Schools’ supply closet, said Schippers.
CNHI/Southeast Iowa
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This school bus is stuffed with school supplies Thursday afternoon thanks to the Stuff the Bus program headed up by United Way of Mahaska County. Herald photo by Andy Goodell
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