United Way’s Stuff the Bus Provides Local Students with School Supplies for the 14th Year

The back-to-school excitement is well underway, but the impact of United Way’s 14th Annual Stuff the Bus has just begun. James Evans, Chief Communications Officer of Rutherford County Schools shared with donors and volunteers, “These aren’t just pencils, scissors, and backpacks to the students that receive them. These supplies instill hope and confidence in students that need it most. Those are things that will never be taken away from them and will guide them through the rest of their school years and beyond.”

Volunteers collect school supplies at a Stuff The Bus event in Tullahoma. Photo provided by United Way of South Central Tennessee.

After eight weeks of community-wide collection drives, nearly 56,000 school supplies were donated and 2,000 fully packed backpacks were distributed across the seven-county service area. In addition to backpacks, thousands of school and teacher supplies were provided to continue to support educators year-round in ten school districts.

In 2024, families spent an average of $140 on school supplies. For many families, it’s an impossible choice between purchasing necessary school supplies, groceries, or gas to get where they need to go. United Way of South Central Tennessee is committed to helping alleviate the burden of these decisions, with Stuff the Bus being one way help families in our community thrive.

This year’s Stuff the Bus sponsors include Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford, First Baptist Murfreesboro, Ingram Content Group, Middle Tennessee Electric, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Publix Supermarkets & Supermarkets Charities, Regions Bank, Andy Womack – State Farm Insurance, Volunteer Bank, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Rachel and Billy Bruce, City of Murfreesboro – Water Resources, Redstone Federal Credit Union, SmartBank, and Wilson Bank & Trust.

For more information about how you can support the United Way’s initiatives please visit yourlocaluw.org.