Kids getting ready for school will now have some much-needed supplies thanks once again to the annual Stuff the Bus for Teachers campaign.
Sponsored by United Way of Pasco County, 60 volunteers stopped by Pine View Middle School last week to help organize nearly $40,000 worth of supplies and donations, as well as $4,500 in cash and gift cards.
All of that was collected between Aug. 1 and Aug. 3 at Publix and Walmart locations throughout the county. In all, more than 300 people help collect supplies like pencils, tablets, staplers, paper, craft supplies and the like.
National surveys show that teachers spend more than $400 of their own money each year buying supplies as the school year begins. Stuff the Bus for Teachers was created as a way to show teachers they are appreciated, and are provided a care package to kick off their new year, according to a release.
“This event is very personal to me,” Stefanie Pontlitz, director of development for United Way of Pasco County, in a release. “I have family that teaches in Pasco County. I know how hard they work to give our kids the best classroom experience possible.”
