School supplies donated by the city of Centralia are unloaded from a truck during a ‘Stuff the Bus’ event Wednesday morning in Centralia.
Each year a “Back to School/Stuff the Bus” supply drive is held in Centralia to benefit students in need. Why is this so important?
Centralia School District is considered a high poverty district with over 80 percent of its students considered from low income households. If our community wants to address long-term issues like intergenerational poverty, there is no better avenue to success and self-reliance than a quality education. And, a quality education starts with supplies.
The Stuff the Bus supply drive in Centralia is the biggest contributor of school supplies to our district. The greatest thing about this drive is that the items collected are taken directly to the schools so that teachers and counselors can supply the students directly with their exact needs, and to the families and students that need them most.
The need for supplies has never been greater. Students in Centralia, like most of the State, will likely not return to school until 2021; leaving many financially struggling families with the added cost of school supplies. Students attending online class are still expected to complete homework assignments and work on projects that require pens, pencils, markers, crayons, glue, paper, folders; etc. With the supplies low, and the need even higher this year, we need to be creative in how we collect supplies for our district.
This year, the United Way of Lewis County joined the Centralia School Supply Drive as a valuable partner in education and combating intergenerational poverty. Several years ago, the United Way of Lewis County board adopted the mission of lifting 30 percent of families out of poverty by 2030 and adopted three foundational pillars; one of them being early childhood education. And, while the first five years of life have so much to do with a child’s lifetime success, our community must support students throughout their educational journey.
We want to thank our partners Althauser Rayan Abbarno, LLP, Alderson’s Awards West, City of Centralia, Centralia School District, Dicks Brewing Company, and United Way of Lewis Count. We are always seeking additional partners in the community to help us serve families and students in need.
Please consider a monetary or supply donation to the Stuff the Bus campaign at Althauser Rayan Abbarno, LLP on North Pearl Street in Centralia on August 12, 13, and 14 from 10am-6pm; Fords Prairie Elementary School on August 15 from 9am to 4pm, or Dick’s Brewing Company will have a drive-thru donation box on August 12-15th. All monetary contributions can be made payable to the United Way of Lewis County, c/o Centralia Supply Drive, 450 NW Pacific Avenue, Chehalis, WA 98532.
Holly Abbarno,
Centralia School District Teacher and Supply Drive Coordinator
Debbie Campbell,
Executive Director, United Way of Lewis County
