United Way also encouraged canada goose outlet shop

United Way’s Stuff the Bus initiative provides school supplies for 8th year

In 2011, United Way of Greenwood and Abbeville Counties’ Stuff the Bus initiative provided 214 children with school supply stocked book bags to canada goose outlet black friday start canada goose off the school year with.

In subsequent years, the initiative has served more than 9,000 children and counting. Rachel Blair, United Way’s director of finance and operations, said the goal this year is to meet last year’s count: 2,200.

Stuff the Bus, Blair said, is a project that fell into her lap seven years canada goose outlet store uk ago. The implementation and delivery of the project requires a major effort on the part of the United Way staff, canada goose outlet in usa local businesses, corporate sponsors the Rotary Club of Greenwood, Duke Energy, Lonza, Costco and Ascend Performance Materials and volunteers, but Blair knows the impact it makes on the community is indispensable.

The smiling faces of the book bag recipients, canada goose store Blair said, are Canada Goose Coats On Sale what make the whole effort worthwhile.

Throughout July, local businesses conducted in house school supply drives canada goose coats on sale for the initiative. United Way also encouraged canada goose outlet shop individuals to bring monetary donations and supplies to its office on Phoenix Street.

Once the pencils, glue sticks, crayons and other supplies arrived on site at United Way’s office, they were taken to the gym. Go time began about two https://www.drachen-spiele.de weeks prior to distribution day Saturday at which point staff and volunteers began to sort through the mass of supplies.

All of the action happened in United Way’s gym complex. Here, tables were set up and assigned a grade level, from K2 grade 12. As supplies and book bags arrived, they were distributed among the rows of tables and prepared for the packing process. When all of the tables were equipped with the appropriate supplies, nearly 50 volunteers flooded in to pack canada goose outlet store the book bags canada goose black friday sale in an assembly line style. Each book bag was filled with supplies appropriate to its canada goose outlet jackets corresponding assigned grade level, according to supply lists provided by Greenwood County School District canada goose outlet 50.

Blair said she expects to see a canada goose outlet reviews long canada goose uk outlet line of parents and children Saturday morning outside of the United Way office on Phoenix Street in Greenwood, all canada goose outlet canada eager to receive a fully stocked book Canada Goose Parka bag. In spite of the large number of children served through the initiative, Blair said the distribution usually only takes about two hours because of the precision exercised by the staff and volunteers throughout the process.

“The thing about Stuff the Bus that I truly enjoy,” Blair said, “is when the kids come in that morning and pick up that book bag.” She believes that canada goose outlet starting the school year equipped with a book bag filled with supplies empowers the students by Canada Goose Jackets building their confidence canada goose outlet online and self esteem.

Johnathan Graves, community services coordinator for District 50, said of United buy canada goose jacket Way’s Stuff the Bus initiative, “United Way’s annual Stuff the Bus campaign is a tremendous resource for the students in goose outlet canada our school district and community. This initiative is so much more than just collecting school supplies; (it) ensures that students have everything they need in order to have a successful start to the school year (and) allows students to come to school on the first day excited and ready to learn!”.