Annual Stuff the Bus campaign yields thousands of dollars worth of school supplies

Jillian Atelsek, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
Updated ·3 min read

Aug. 4—The doors weren't set to open until 9 a.m., but when volunteers arrived to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, dozens of people were already lined up outside. Many sat in chairs they brought from home.

Wednesday marked the first day of school supply distribution for this year's Stuff the Bus campaign, organized by Frederick County Public Schools and the United Way of Frederick County.

The Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs partnered with United Way for the first time this year to support the Frederick city distribution, said volunteer Amy Benton.

Other distributions took place around the county later in the week, and more are scheduled for next week.

By the end of the day at the Frederick city event, which serves the most families, more than 2,000 children had received supplies they need to start the school year. It was clear that the need was great this year, volunteers said: The first person in line said they'd arrived before 4 a.m.

As Benton and other volunteers looked around the church gym Wednesday afternoon, which was piled high with pencils, markers, notebooks, folders and more, they became emotional.

"I want to cry, because it's just one of the most moving things I get to ever experience," Benton said.

The annual Stuff the Bus drive aims to support students in poverty or in ALICE households.

ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. It refers to households where residents are working, but unable to afford basic necessities.

More than 37,000 households in Frederick County fall below the ALICE threshold, according to a 2023 report.

Between June 19 and July 31, more than 100 local businesses and nonprofits across the county collected school supplies in yellow bins. People were also invited to make financial contributions that the United Way could use to buy supplies.

FCPS school buses drove around the county to collect bins and take them to various distribution centers.

To receive supplies, families need documentation showing their children attended a school in the feeder pattern designated for each distribution.

Erin Lawson, United Way's director of resource development and marketing, said the county's ALICE figures were emphasized in her workplace. But events like the school supply distribution drive the reality of those numbers home, she said.

"Working with United Way, we get this number beat into our heads so much: There's 36% of the county that's ALICE, that can't afford a basic cost of living," Lawson said. "We're not necessarily seeing that day to day, when we're in our personal lives. But then you come here, and you see that the need is so great. And it does really hit you that it is almost 40% of our county that is struggling."

Hundreds of families filed through the church gym at a near-constant clip Wednesday. In another room, volunteers screened movies for families waiting their turn.

Behind the church, organizations like the Frederick County Health Department and the Asian American Center of Frederick had booths set up to distribute information, groceries and more.

Stuff the Bus has distributed supplies to local children for more than a decade. In 2022, United Way estimates, the drive yielded more than 90,000 items valued at more than $75,000.