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Givers ‘Stuff the Bus’
Drives collect school supplies
Book Bag Donations 4 es
Keller Williams agent Alexia Gallagher, above, and team leader Keith O’Rourke deliver 300 bookbags Wednesday to the Forsyth County school system. - photo by Emily Saunders
How to help

Donations needed for “Stuff the Bus”

No. 2 pencils
12-inch wooden rulers with centimeters
12-pocket plastic expandable files
One-GB flash drives
Three-ring binders
Three-prong folders
Three-prong plastic folder with pockets
Five-subject spiral notebooks
Black and white marbled composition notebooks
Black pens
Blue pens
Book bags
Child safety scissors
Colored pencils
Crayons, 24 count
Dry erase markers
Glue sticks
Highlighters
Index cards
Large pink pencil erasers
Long plastic supply boxes
Pencil pouches
Pencil top erasers
Plain pocket folders (vinyl)
Primary writing tablets
Red pens
Regular plastic supply boxes
Spiral wide ruled notebooks
Tab dividers for binders
Washable markers
White school glue
Wide ruled notebook paper
Writing tablets
School’s still out, but local organizations are doing their part to ensure students are ready to hit the books again next month.

The local chapter of the United Way has teamed up with The Place of Forsyth County to collect school supplies for kids in need.

“Stuff the Bus” challenges residents to bring as many new classroom necessities as possible for local students. Items like No. 2 pencils, three-ring binders, black pens, colored pencils and book bags are in high demand.

All supplies collected from the inaugural event, which runs the next four Saturdays at two locations, will be given to The Place to distribute to students in need.

Another organization that helped collect donations for local students presented the Almon C. Hill Center, which handles registration for new students, with 300 backpacks filled with supplies on Wednesday.

Kares 4 Kids collected the bags. The drive is one of several the organization participates in throughout the year.

“This year there is definitely a great need,” said Marci Fair with Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Partners and Kares 4 Kids. “Our mission is to care for kids in need.”

Leigh Crow, the United Way’s community impact director, said it’s a good time to donate.

“We thought it would be a great year to go ahead with it in our community,” Crow said about the “Stuff the Bus” effort. “Because of the need and the way the economy’s been, it’s a good time.

“There are more kids out there this year that don’t have the opportunity to get these school supplies.”

To donate new supplies, residents can find one of the yellow school buses at the Lakeland Plaza Shopping Center in Cumming or the Johns Creek Shopping Center in Suwanee.

The buses will be out beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday. Donations will also be accepted Aug. 1, 8 and 15.

E-mail Frank Reddy at frankreddy@forsythnews.com.