United Way held its community-wide collection day for Stuff The Bus, a school supply drive, on Saturday, July 16 at Columbus Public Library on Macon Road. The event was a success and an assortment of school supplies were donated, ranging from composition notebooks to pencils.
 
Stuff the Bus sponsors, Little Caesars, PMB Broadcasting, and Chattahoochee Valley Libraries, attended and volunteered in support of the collection day on Saturday. Little Caesars hosted a corn-hole toss for donors, giving donors a chance to win a free pizza for a winning toss.
 
According to Scott Ferguson, President and CEO of United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley, “The collection drive was a success and we are very thankful for the generous community members who donated supplies on Saturday,” said Ferguson. “Their generosity will make an impact on the academic success of children in our community. All children should go to school feeling good about themselves without worrying about having the necessary supplies,” he added.
 
Denise Guthrie, Special Events Coordinator at United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley, set a goal of having 4,000 backpacks filled with school supplies donated this year. Our sponsors, Char-Broil, Chattahoochee Valley Libraries, Columbus GA Young Professionals, iHeartMedia, Little Caesars, Malone Office Environments, PMB Broadcasting, Pratt & Whitney, Publix, Snyder’s Lance, TSYS, Two Men and a Truck, UPS, WestRock, and Yanfeng USA, have been an integral part of the success of Stuff The Bus.
 
There are still opportunities to get involved in Stuff the Bus. Over the next two weeks, the donated supplies need to be sorted and backpacks need to be filled before being delivered to 33 schools in our area. Those interested in volunteering to sort supplies and fill backpacks should text PENCIL to 50503, contact Terri Parodi at [email protected], or call 706-327-3255, ext. 212. Sign up to volunteer to make a difference in a local child’s education.