Salvation Army Stuff the Bus helps Middle Georgia families with school supplies
Salvation Army and Walmart team up in Macon to collect school supplies and support families ahead of the new school year
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – As students prepare to head back to school, many families are feeling the strain of rising supply costs.
To help ease that burden, the Salvation Army partnered with local Walmart stores Monday for its annual Stuff the Bus event, collecting school supplies for students across Middle Georgia.
Shoppers at the Walmart on Zebulon Road picked up extra items and dropped them into collection bins at the front of the store. The donations will be sorted and distributed to families in need in the coming weeks.
Paula Blevins, Central Georgia Integration Coordinator with the Salvation Army, says the effort helps provide essential items for students while supporting parents facing higher costs.
“You know how expensive things are these days, and so if we can help relieve the burden from parents having to buy so many school supplies, then that’s a great thing,” Blevins said. “Food is expensive, gasoline’s expensive, everything has gone up.”
Community members also stepped up to support the cause, including Joanne Murphy Bruce, who says giving back is an easy decision.
“It’s so many kids out there in need and parents have a lot even trying to put food on the table,” Bruce said. “What’s me buying a couple school supplies? It’s nothing out of my pocket. It’s worth it for the kids.”
The Salvation Army says the event is part of a yearly effort that depends on community generosity to succeed.
“It really doesn’t matter whether you’re bringing a lot of things or just a pack of pencils and a pack of crayons,” Blevins said. “It all goes together, and then we are able to distribute it out to the families, so we are very grateful for whatever the donation is.”
Although the Stuff the Bus event has wrapped up, the Salvation Army says donations can still be made online to help provide school supplies for local students.
