CAPE GIRARDEAU – As food and other costs continue to rise, many families in Southeast Missouri cannot afford basic school supplies for their students. To help each student begin the year with dignity, United Way of Southeast Missouri hosts an annual school supply drive, Stuff the Bus, intentionally held each year during Missouri’s tax-free weekend.
On August 8th from 9 a.m.. to 3 p.m. Walmart stores in Cape Girardeau, Fredericktown, Jackson, Kennett, Malden, Perryville, Poplar Bluff, and Sikeston will help United Way Stuff the Bus during Missouri’s tax-free weekend.
An anonymous shopper donates school supplies to Sikeston School District during UWSEMO’s Stuff the Bus event (credit: United Way of Southeast Missouri).
According to schools that reported results, last year’s Stuff the Bus event brought in nearly 14,000 school supplies donated to 14 schools that impacted over 2,920 students. Participating schools will be on site at select stores encouraging Walmart shoppers to purchase additional school supplies and place them in the designated donation boxes or shopping carts.
Scott County R-4 School District (Kelly Schools) parks a bus at the Cape Girardeau Walmart Supercenter during UWSEMO’s annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive (credit: United Way of Southeast Missouri).
Some stores will have buses parked in front to collect supplies that athletic groups, student clubs, faculty, and staff from participating schools will collect from community members and transport to waiting buses.
At the end of the event, buses will return to their respective schools, and all donated supplies will be delivered to students in need at each participating school.
People can also give without going to the store by donating online at: https://bit.ly/stuff-the-bus26 or by mailing a check to UWSEMO at 16 N. Spanish Street, Cape Girardeau, 63701 with “school supplies” in the memo.
More information can be found here: https://unitedwayofsemo.org/event/stuff-the-bus/ .
Participating schools include: Bloomfield School District Clarkton C-4 School District Fredericktown R-I School District Jackson R-II District Neelyville R-IV School District Perry County School District Poplar Bluff School District Scott County R-4 School District (Kelly Schools) Sikeston School District