The remaining Stuff the Bus events include:
• Ellinwood – For the entire month of August one can drop off your donations at Sunflower Bank during its regular business hours, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. or at the Ellinwood Community Library.
• Larned – from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23, at Shopko.
It wasn’t kids getting on the school buses parked outside Great Bend businesses this week.
United Way of Central Kansas’ annual Stuff the Bus campaign got off to a big start with events in Hoisington Monday and in Great Bend Wednesday.
“It’s been looking pretty good,” said UWCK Executive Director Julie Bugner-Smith. “People have been giving. We’re pleased.”
In Hoisington, 800 food and other items were collected. And, in Great Bend, the busses were getting full.
Also, in an unscheduled drive, the Dillons store in Larned gathered supplies.
In it’s fifth year, the program started in Great Bend has now expanded to Ellinwood, Larned and Hoisington, she said. These donations help relieve the financial strain on UWCK’s 23 partner agencies so that their time, energy, and money can go to making our community stronger by providing much needed services.
It is that time of year that many of these items go on sale, so she advises folks to watch the sales ads.
“The agencies that UWCK serves rely on these contributions to stretch their already tight budgets,” Smith said.“We look forward to being out in the communities and stuffing these buses.”
In Hoisington, the collection took place at Town and Country Supermarket. Items were also dropped off at Clara Barton Hospital, Dairy Queen, and Pizza Hut, which offered a 20 percent off any one item given.
In Great Bend, buses collected contributions at Dillons (4107 10th St) and at Wal-Mart (3503 10th St).
Here is what the agencies are looking for:
1. Office Supplies: copy paper, pens, tape, folders and binders, envelopes, notebooks (college and wide rule), highlighters, white-out, legal pads, staples, paper clips, label tape.
2. Items for Children: blankets, stuffed animals, crayons, markers, construction paper, glue, child scissors, glitter, acrylic paint, watercolors, poster board, stickers, infant/toddler/preschool/school aged toys and games, diapers, wipes.
3. School Supplies: new backpacks, 12-inch rulers, protractors, compasses, dry erase markers, glue (stick and bottles), notebook paper (wide and college rule) highlighters, composition notebooks (not spiral bound), pencil boxes, colored pencils, washable markers, large pink erasers, index cards (ruled or plain), pocket folders (with and without prongs).
4. Home Building Supplies: paint rollers and paint roller pans, painter tape, gardening gloves, canvas drop cloths.
5. Household Items: paper towels, toilet paper, trash bags, facial tissue, laundry soap, cleaning supplies, sponges, comet, dish soap, disposable dining ware (ups, plates, napkins, silverware), disposable washcloths, disinfectant wipes.
6. Toiletry Items: brushes, combs, toothbrushes, adult diapers, travel size toiletries (soap, deodorant, cotton swabs, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, etc.)
7. Food items: Ensure or Boost, non-perishable snacks (drink boxes, juice packs, cracker packs, goldfish, fruit snacks), non-perishable food (canned goods, cereal, etc.), regular ground coffee, bottled water.
8. Other: Skeins of yarn, regular and baby yarn-all colors, reusable shopping bags.
For more information about these events follow UWCK on Facebook, visituwck.org or call 620-792-2403.
