'Stuff the Bus' Drive Fills 742 Backpacks for Kids

United Way Bucks County collected enough school supplies to fill 742 backpacks for kids in need.

The backpacks contain pencils, notebooks, binders, and colored pencils.  Fourteen member agencies will distribute the packed bags throughout 13 Bucks County School districts. Bucks County Intermediate Unit # 22 will also receive supplies.

Donations to this drive help make the transition back to school easier for families struggling to meet their children’s needs. For parents, a backpack of school supplies eases the financial burden of sending their kids back to school. For students, it ensures they have the right materials to be successful in the classroom.

“Education is key to a good quality of life and anything we can do to encourage, support and promote it is a priority,” says Jamie Haddon, United Way of Bucks County CEO.  By providing students these supplies, we are making it easier for students to get a quality education here in Bucks County.

Citizen’s Bank was an enormous Stuff the Bus contributor, providing 100 backpacks already filled with supplies. Another fantastic contribution came from Jennifer Dredge who set a personal goal to collect 100 backpacks. She exceeded her goal, and provided more than 100 bags to the drive.

Other major donors included AWeber, Merchants of Doylestown, New Britain Township Business Alliance, Brooks Instruments, J&J Janssen and Lockheed Martin. Without their contributions, this drive would not have been nearly as successful.

Many of these donors participated through Bucks Business Stuff the Bus, organized by AWeber Communications. AWeber's goal was to increase the involvement of community businesses in the drive to expand its scope. This allowed us to exceed last year's drive, with donations totaling $17,440.