Summer 2024

Join us for our 16th annual Stuff the Bus school supply collection drive for elementary students in our nine-county service area.

Why It’s Important

Basic school supplies can cost parents an average of $247 per child. According to the professional services firm Deloitte, the cost of school supplies has risen 23.7% since 2020. Despite inflation showing signs of easing, parents still feel the effects of rising prices, and three in ten parents say their households are in a worse financial position than in 2022.

Families struggling to make ends meet often must choose between buying school supplies or putting food on the table. That’s why United Way needs community support to make sure students have supplies to start the school year ready to learn.

Here’s How You Can Help

Host a collection drive in your workplace or community group and deliver supplies to Nissan Stadium on July 15 from 9:15 a.m. to noon. Sign up here by June 24 and let us know what school supply you’re collecting and your goal.

Volunteer on July 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (check-in between 8:30 to 9 a.m.) to help sort and set up supply stations for Tuesday’s backpack stuffing day.

Volunteer on July 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (check-in between 8:30 to 9 a.m.) to stuff the backpacks.

Together, we can ensure kids across the nine counties we serve will have the supplies they need to start the school year ready to learn.

How to Run a Collection Drive

Post Your Supply List in a common area, on your workplace’s intranet or email to your staff. Be sure to include your goal, cut-off date and where supplies can be dropped off. Download a Supply Drive Poster here.

Track Your Progress: consider setting up an Amazon Wish List where your team can order supplies directly and have them shipped to your office. Or if your team prefers to shop in-store, create a SignUpGenius link to make sure that each supply has been accounted for.

Deliver Your Supplies: once all supplies have been collected, gather a few team members to deliver the supplies to Nissan Stadium on Monday, July 15, from 9:15 a.m. to noon. Detailed drop-off information will be sent closer to the drop-off date.

Celebrate your hard work! Because of you, kids in our community will have all the tools to start their year ready to learn.

Questions?

Email Erin Ward at erin.ward@unitedwaygn.org.

Volunteer for First Day of School

We are very excited for the opportunity to be in some of the Davidson County schools that will benefit from the Stuff the Bus backpacks this year.

On August 6 from 7 – 9 a.m. we need volunteers to help greet students as they arrive for their first day of school, help check them in, and get them to their classrooms!

Once you register we will work on assigning you to a school that has asked for our assistance. Please use your work email to register so that we can easily group companies together. Time frames may vary slightly depending on the location assigned.

Sign-up here to volunteer for First Day of School on August 6.