Help thousands of local children get a good start to the school year by donating some new school supplies or hygiene products. Stuff the Bus is coordinated by United Way of Southwest Minnesota (UWSWMN) and benefits all public, private and charter schools in the UWSWMN service area. Collected supplies and backpacks will be distributed to 25 participating schools this year. School staff ensures the supplies reach those who really need extra support. Families in need of supplies should contact their school district directly regarding distribution dates/process as this varies from district to district. Supplies will be at area schools after Aug. 9.

School supplies most needed this year include backpacks and financial contributions. Other useful and needed supplies include: colored pencils, markers, disinfectant wipes, tissues, notebooks — college and wide ruled, pink erasers, eraser toppers, pens (blue/black/red), pencils, pencil boxes, highlighters, scissors and hygiene products. Direct contributions (noted on the memo line for school supply purchase) can be sent to United Way of Southwest MN, P.O. Box 41, Marshall, MN 56258 or online at www.UnitedWaySWMN.org. Donations are accepted year round for this project and help us purchase necessary additional items in bulk at a low cost. In 2016, approximately 4,100 local children (grades K-12) benefited from the more than 55,000 school supplies we distributed. That’s a lot of pencil boxes!

Generous support from the area also makes this annual initiative successful. Multiple churches, organizations, businesses and employee groups collect supplies and financial donations. Partnerships with Hy-Vee, Marshall Radio and VAST! help with both advertising Stuff the Bus and coordinating events to collect supplies and/or financial contributions. Special thanks to ADM who granted ADMCares funds for supplies and materials.

Community members are encouraged to pick up a few supplies and drop them in marked donation barrels or boxes to help the effort. Every notebook or package of pens makes a difference. Donation barrels and boxes are located at: Shopko; Wal-Mart; Marshall Area YMCA; Menards; Bremer Bank; McDonalds; SW/WC Service Cooperative — Market Street Mall; Hy-Vee; Lockwood Motors; Minnwest Bank Marshall; Dawson Drug & Gift; Reinhart Foodservice; St. Stephen Lutheran Church — Marshall; Bank of the West — Ivanhoe, Marshall, and Minneota; Kilowatt Community Center –Granite Falls; Sanford Medical Center — Canby campus; Fulda Public Library; ACMC — Marshall and Granite Falls; Lyon-Lincoln Electric Cooperative — Tyler; and the United Way of Southwest Minnesota office. Collection containers will be in place through Aug. 1. Additionally, Lincoln County 4-H is collecting supplies at the Lincoln County Fair.

United Way of Southwest Minnesota is an autonomous, local organization working to create lasting change in people’s lives and the communities we serve in Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Yellow Medicine and portions of Cottonwood, Lac qui Parle, Nobles and Redwood counties of Minnesota.