CIS of Cape Fear -Stuff-the-bus campaign brings in supplies for local schools

By: Emily Rea – July 29th, 2008

Encore Online

Heading back to school at summer’s end is often a bittersweet reality for students. Gone are the carefree days of playing in the sun—without homework or policies or testing—and a whole year’s worth of the pressures that school can create is suddenly standing in front of them. Luckily for both students and staff, the annual Stuff-the-bus campaign will soon be underway to help alleviate at least one of those pressures.

Over the upcoming tax-free weekend, August 1st-3rd, the seventh annual Communities in Schools of Cape Fear (CISCF) program Stuff the Bus will enlist the help of a minimum of 200 volunteers from around the Wilmington area community to help fulfill its mission: collect donated school supplies for local schools. Volunteers will work two-hour shifts, handing out school-supply wish lists to shoppers outside specific retail locations about town. On their way out, folks will simply place their donations into barrels provided by the campaign. “Stuff the Bus will help students focus on learning, not on what they may or may not have,” Tracy Tisdale, program coordinator for Communities in Schools of Cape Fear, explains.

Donated supplies will be offered to every public school in New Hanover and Pender counties. The supplies will then be given to the school guidance counselors who will discreetly disburse them to students in need. “No child should ever have to go to school without the tools to learn,” Tisdale iterates. “We collect everything that an elementary-, middle- or high-school student may need, from backpacks to pencils. Everything is recorded on the wish lists shoppers receive before going into the store. We are also collecting school uniforms this year to try and help those students who are unable to purchase them for themselves.”

Stuff the Bus was originally the brainchild of Jeff Dunlea, who was a member of the Education Council of the Greater Wilmington Chamber Foundation at the time. “[Jeff] has also been one of CISCF’s greatest volunteers and board members,” Tisdale notes. “[He] has always been a strong advocate for students and teachers!”

Yet, perhaps even Dunlea could not have anticipated the great success of Stuff the Bus in 2007. It was the year of the Stuff the Bus Corporate Challenge, wherein companies across town kept a barrel in their offices and challenged employees to donate. The challenge along with the Stuff-the-Bus tax-free weekend event collected a total of over $45,000 worth of school supplies.

“The schools love it!” Tisdale says. “They are so grateful for the free resource. They have said this service is greatly needed and greatly appreciated.”

However, the need this year in particular has risen dramatically. “Unfortunately, the school system had to take a hit this year when the county had the short-fall, so the classroom supplies we collect will really help out the schools this time around,” Tisdale says. “Sadly, with the increases in gas prices and food prices, many more families may not be able to afford all the school supplies their children need.”

The economic low the country and our community is faced with has affected many more areas than we can comfortably imagine. Still, Tisdale remains hopeful for this year’s event.

“I feel this year will be another great success. With our Corporate Challenge partners and all our wonderful locations, we will have a lot of opportunities for donations,” she asserts. “We would love to pass the $45,000 mark from last year. Another backpack, notebook or pencil is another way to help a student get ahead, one who might not have had the tools needed to start off a good school year.”
Communities in Schools of Cape Fear are hopeful that concerned community members will step up this year to meet that goal. “I love to see what a wonderful, generous and caring community we have!” Tisdale remarks. Anyone interested in volunteering for Stuff the Bus should contact Tracy Tisdale at 910-343-1901 or e-mail tracy@ciscapefear.org. CISCF is also accepting monetary donations and gift cards.

Those who would like to purchase and donate school supplies for Stuff the Bus should visit one of the following participating locations where the buses will be parked:

Harris Teeter at Mayfaire (6805 Parker Farm Drive; 910-256-1071)
Staples (322 S. College Rd; 910-313-0636)
Office Depot (3727 Oleander Drive; 910-392-9013)
Walmart Monkey Junction (5135 Carolina Beach Road; 910-793-1157)
Walmart off Market Street (5226 Sigmon Road; 910-392-0434)
More information on CISCF and Stuff the Bus can be found online at www.ciscapefear.org