CONWAY — Students will soon be headed back to school, and they’ll need a lot of supplies.
The United Way of Central Arkansas in Conway plans to fill buses with everything on the students’ lists. Stuff the Bus is scheduled from 8 a.m. to
3 p.m. Aug. 3 at the two Walmart Supercenters in Conway and the one in Clinton.
Maret Cahill Wicks, executive director of the nonprofit agency, said school supplies are expensive, and this is a way the agency can help kids in need.
“Last year, we were really successful,” she said. “We collected 26,000 items. That was a savings of $80,000 to the school districts.”
Wicks said the United Way doesn’t decide which students receive the supplies.
“We give them directly to the school districts. Teachers and counselors are on the front lines. They know which kids need [the supplies] the most and can distribute them properly,” she said. Also, the supplies are divided based on population of the schools and the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches, Wicks said.
School buses will be parked at the three participating Walmart locations. People may bring supplies purchased at any location or buy them at Walmart. A list of supplies is on the agency’s website, www.uwcaark.org, and printouts of the needed items will be provided at the sites.
Wicks said counselors and teachers said the No. 1 item needed this year is backpacks for older students.
Although it’s fun to buy the cute, character backpacks for younger kids, Wicks said, simple gray, black or brown backpacks for older students are needed the most.
“It’s a little more expensive, but if that’s the need, we want to meet that need,” she said.
Also, for a donation of $20, the United Way will fill a backpack with supplies.
“We’re looking for a lot of volunteers for this event,” she said. To volunteer, call the United Way of Central Arkansas at (501) 327-5087, or go to the website and click the volunteer button in the right-hand corner.
“We have a lot of fun out there,” she said. “One year, we had a baseball team at one door [of Walmart] and beauty queens at another. And we put it on social media for people to come out to make it a competition.”
The nonprofit agency also holds competitions among small, medium and large businesses.
“They either challenge their employees or their customers to bring in school supplies,” Wicks said.
The winner in each category gets an ice-cream party, but the real winners are the kids, educators said.
Mayflower Superintendent John Gray said the district is thankful for the supplies it receives from the Stuff the Bus project.
“We really appreciate it. We have a lot of high-need kids who need these supplies, and it makes a big difference,” he said.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.