Time Again to Stuff the Bus

Times-Gazette

Once again, United Way of Bedford County is seeking school supplies for its “Stuff The School Bus” campaign, which distributes the supplies to needy children through the local school system. All collected supplies stay in Bedford County.

The official “Stuff The School Bus” day will be July 28 at Walmart on North Main Street, from 9:30 until 1 a.m., when supplies will be loaded onto a school bus in the Walmart parking lot. But you don’t have to wait to give; pre-collection boxes are already in place at a number of local buinesses and organizations:

• Tennova Healthcare–Shelbyville (hospital)
• All three locations of First Community Bank
• Pinnacle Financial
• Traders Bank
• Heritage South Community Credit Union
• Peoples Bank of Middle Tennessee
• FirstBank
• Regions Bank
• Tyson Foods
• Shelbyville Recreation Center
• Shelbyville Times-Gazette
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology

Walmart will have pre-packed supply bags available for purchase, or you can purchase individual supplies as you see fit. See the accompanying list for suggestions of what school supplies are needed. The event on July 28 will fall during the state’s Sales Tax-Free Weekend, so there will be no sales tax on the purchase of school supplies, for yourself or to donate.

Monetary donations are also accepted, and will be used to fill any gaps once all the in-kind donations have been tallied. For example, if donors bring too many of one item and not enough of some other item, the money will be used to make up the difference. Cash can also be pooled to buy in bulk, which may mean monetary donations have the potential to go farther. But many people enjoy the idea of physically donating school supplies they can see and touch.

Local United Way executive director Mark McGee said that Musgrave Pencil Company, Shepenco, and Newell Corp. have all pledged in-kind donations of school supplies.

On the 28th, members of the National Honor Society from Shelbyville Central High School will be on hand to assist with collecting, sorting and loading the supplies.

For more information about the project, call United Way at 931-684-6685.