‘Stuff The Bus’ Is A Huge Success

Katie Schippers (left) and Chris Roach (right) at the ‘Stuff the Bus’ event on July 19th

Oskaloosa, Iowa – It seems hard to believe, but the start of the school year in Oskaloosa is only a month away.

Over the lunch period of 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, donations found their way to the big yellow school bus that the Oskaloosa School District provided to help transport all of the collected supplies. The turnout was enough that event coordinator Katie Schippers said, “it’s getting to the point we’re thinking about borrowing Love Inc’s moving truck.”

“We’re really excited about it,” Schippers said of the response. She said that at just one of the business supporters alone, they collected over 2500 items. Twenty-Two businesses and churches were represented in the drive, plus all of the donations from the community.

The 13th was the last day individuals could sign up for the program ‘Operation Backpack’. “Everything we collect will first go to support ‘Operation Backpack’, and then what ever is overflow from that will go to a district supply closet that will help support the classrooms and students throughout the year,” Schippers said of the use for the supplies collected.

If you missed the signup date for ‘Operation Backpack’, some help could possibly still be available. “Have a student, or students, get a hold of us [United Way]. We’ll talk to the school, determine which grade they’re in, what needs they have, and just tell the teacher to make sure they have supplies there from the supply closet for the students when they show up,” Schippers said.

Even though there are no official numbers yet of how many kids will be helped this year by ‘Operation Backpack’ and ‘Stuff the Bus’, as verification was still underway, Schippers said the numbers of students needing help will be less than last year. “We think that’s a really good thing. We’ll be able to route those supplies that would’ve went to the backpacks to the supply closet so they can be used in a year round kind of situation.”