THANK YOU for Helping Us STUFF THE BUS!
Because of the generosity of our community, United Way’s 18th Annual STUFF THE BUS! School Supplies Drive, presented by Mosaic Life Care, was a huge success.
27,000+ School Supply Items Collected
During the two-day drive, community members donated more than 27,000 school supply items for area students.
In addition, donors gave more than $2,300 to help United Way purchase supplies that were not donated.
Since STUFF THE BUS! began in 2009, our community has donated more than 331,000 school supply items to help area children start the school year prepared and ready to learn.
Thank You, St. Joseph!
This effort takes an entire community, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make it possible.
Thank you to Mosaic Life Care for presenting and supporting STUFF THE BUS!
Thank you to Walmart for welcoming our volunteers and for collecting donations at both St. Joseph locations.
Thank you to First Student for providing the buses and helping bring this community tradition to life.
Thank you to our volunteers who spent their time greeting shoppers, collecting donations, organizing supplies and helping throughout the event.
Thank you to the hundreds of shoppers and donors who purchased extra school supplies, made monetary gifts and helped fill the buses.
And thank you to the businesses and organizations that hosted school supply drives and encouraged their employees to get involved.
Every notebook, pencil, backpack and dollar donated helps make a difference for a local student.
Supplies Stay Local
School supplies collected through STUFF THE BUS! are distributed through United Way Partner Agencies and Programs, including The Salvation Army.
When children have the supplies they need, they can walk into the classroom more prepared to learn, participate and succeed.
Families needing assistance with school supplies may contact The Salvation Army at 816.232.5824 to learn more about its school supply distribution taking place August 13, 2026.
Why STUFF THE BUS! Matters
STUFF THE BUS! helps ease the financial burden of back-to-school expenses for families, caregivers, teachers and schools. It also gives community members of all ages a simple and meaningful way to support education and local students.
United Way President Kylee Strough shared:
“We are fortunate to live in a community where neighbors care about neighbors. This weekend’s effort saw volunteers and donors of all ages sharing their time and donating supplies. The caring power of community is strong in St. Joseph!”
Thank You for Showing Up for Local Students
Whether you volunteered for a shift, added a few extra supplies to your cart, made a monetary donation, hosted a workplace drive or simply helped spread the word, you helped make STUFF THE BUS! 2026 a success.
Thank you for coming together to help local children start the school year with the tools they need.