It is true what the old proverb says: It takes a village to raise a child. Fortunately for our children, they have an entire county behind them. From Pine Grove to Tamaqua, Ringtown to Auburn and everywhere in between, school supplies and backpacks have been donated to stuff 2,115 backpacks! This is the largest collection in the 20-year history of Schuylkill United Way’s Stuff the Bus program.

The challenge was daunting this year due to supply chain issues and the sever impact of inflation. It makes the generosity of each and every donor that much more inspiring. Melissa Carr, Guidance Counselor for St. Clair schools, stated, “Especially with the recent inflation there is a bigger burden on our families to supply the needed materials…we want to thank the Schuylkill United Way Stuff the Bus program for their generous yearly donation to our students with backpacks and school supplies.”

The backpacks and school supplies are distributed to schools, organizations, individuals, and SUW’s Partner Agencies across the county. One of those Partner Agencies is Big Impact Group of Schuylkill County (BIGS), a mentoring program for kids operating in eight county school districts. Their Executive Director, Doug Allen, shared, “The parents in our program look forward to the Schuylkill United Way’s Stuff the Bus because they know their kids will get quality backpacks filled with everything their child will need to get off to a great start in school. This allows for the parents to maybe afford additional clothes or uniforms, provide a musical instrument, or sports equipment for their child that they may not be able to get without the SUW’s help.”

The volunteer power required by this program is tremendous. Huge thanks to the over 100 volunteers who gave of their time and sweat during the heat wave to unload, sort, stuff, count, and organize the many, many supplies! A very special thanks to our 2022 High School Football Challenge Champions – the Blue Mountain Eagles – and their head coach, Tom Gallagher who lent helping hands to unload and prep donations. Another example of students helping students and making our community a special place to live. We are also thankful for the generosity and flexibility of the Salvation Army Pottsville Corps. who house the donations and provide our assembly and distribution space.

Through the generosity of all those who donated school supplies and backpacks and all those who volunteer, over 2,100 students (or approximately 11% of all students in our county) will have a strong start to the new school year. Since 2002, Schuylkill countians have helped to fill over 21,000 backpacks.