United Way of Southeast Missouri collects school supplies for students in need

United Way of Southeast Missouri's Stuff the Bus campaign is back.

Stuff the Bus is an annual campaign that raises school supplies for students in need.

This year's event -- intentionally scheduled during Missouri's tax-free weekend -- will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, at participating Walmart stores in Cape Girardeau, Fredericktown, Jackson, Kennett, Malden, Perryville, Poplar Bluff and Sikeston.

School representatives will be on-site encouraging Walmart shoppers to purchase additional school supplies and place them in the designated donation boxes or shopping carts.

Top items to buy, suggested by United Way of SEMO, include single-subject notebooks, mechanical pencils, filler paper, two-pocket folders, ink pens, Crayola 24-count crayons, two-pack pink erasers, bottled school glue, scissors and three-pack glue sticks.

Athletic groups, student clubs, faculty and staff from participating schools will collect the donated school supplies and periodically transport them to waiting buses. At the end of the event, all donated school supplies will be delivered to students in need at each participating school.

It is estimated that around 1,000 families in the area cannot afford the school supplies needed for their children to confidently begin another academic year, said Elizabeth Shelton, executive director.

"United Way of Southeast Missouri is proud to bring this event to the community year after year, especially as costs for nearly everything continue to rise. As we do with everything, we are simply asking those who can to help those going through a hard time. In this case, it's the kiddos. We want to do all we can to help students feel comfortable their first day of school, rather than feeling singled out," Shelton said in a news release.

People can also give without going to the store by donating online at www.bit.ly/stuff-the-bus-semo.