With the start of the 2016-2017 school year approaching, the North County School Readiness Program will be hosting a Stuff the Bus fundraising drive this month to help make sure local students are prepared for another year.
The Stuff the Bus event will be Aug. 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with buses at two locations, the Fred Meyer and Walmart in Battle Ground, a release from the program stated. North County Community Food Bank Executive Director Elizabeth Cerveny said that during the event people can help either through monetary donations or by purchasing and donating the supplies themselves.
The North County School Readiness program serves roughly 700 to 800 students in the Battle Ground, Hockinson, Woodland and Green Mountain school districts, the release stated. Cerveny said that on average the cost for a new backpack and supplies can range from $75-80.
Although in the past a bus-stuffing event had been used for drives related to food, Cerveny said that after positive feedback and success of a school supply-focused event last year, Stuff the Bus for school readiness has made a return.
“We thought we had pretty good success the first year,” Cerveny remarked, adding that the drive managed to collect enough supplies to fill a small room at the Meadow Glade Seventh-Day Adventist Church. The church’s Adventist Community Services ministry, along with Cerveny’s North County Community Food Bank are the two chief partners in putting together the drive.
The drive is only one part of the overall School Readiness Program, with the release stating a few other opportunities including allowing local businesses and organizations to host their own drives, dedications of gifts as well as adopting a classroom. Cerveny explained that often classes have specific needs in supplies that often come out of the teacher’s pocket. By adopting a classroom a donor can take that burden off the teacher.
Apart from helping for the School Readiness Program’s goals, Cerveny said that she noticed the drive last year seemed to help instill a sense of service in some of the volunteers helping out, especially the younger participants. She said many of the families who brought their children ended up finding the participation very rewarding to that end.
“It helped the kids understand how to be involved in the community, helping others,” Cerveny said.
Those interested in volunteering, donating or registering for the program are asked to contact Cerveny at executive.director@nccfoodbank.org or 360-687-5007, or Carolyn Waldron of Adventist Community Services at 360-687-3459.
