Local company helps Stuff the Bus campaign; Jackson cuts back school-supply list

As another school year dawns, COVID-19 is sinking its viral tentacles into seemingly every aspect of life — including the need for notebooks, pens, erasers and other items as students return to classes this month.

The United Way of Southeast Missouri promoted a virtual Stuff the Bus school supplies campaign to coincide with the state’s Aug. 7 to 9 tax-free weekend.

“It was not so successful this year,” said Elizabeth Shelton, executive director of the local United Way.

“We raised a few hundred dollars,” she said, “(but) normally we are able to gather supplies worth thousands of dollars.”

Local company to the rescue

Liberty Utilities in Jackson has given $5,000 to the 2020 Stuff the Bus initiative.

“We had other donations and we’re grateful but (Liberty’s) gift literally saved (the campaign),” said Shelton, noting the annual effort assists students in more than 20 local public school districts.

In a non-pandemic year, Stuff the Bus follows a tried-and-true formula, she said.

Schools bring buses to their local Walmart stores, usually with cheerleaders present to call attention to the campaign, Shelton said.

“This sort of a visual, plus the foot traffic a Walmart gets can’t be duplicated virtually,” she said.

On a usual tax-free weekend, people would emerge from the store with bags of supplies and hand them over to the organization as the customers made their way to their cars, Shelton said.

The normal Stuff the Bus procedure was not possible due to the pandemic, making it necessary to ask for monetary gifts.

United Way of Southeast Missouri, which operates in Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Perry and northern Scott counties, has emergency funds available for students who need items such as eyeglasses or a winter coat. Shelton said the organization was facing the prospect of dipping into that protected pool of money to buy school supplies this fall.

“(Liberty’s) gift kept us from having to do that,” she said.

Jackson paring back school supply list

Citing the number of families who have lost employment or faced other financial pandemic-related hardships, the Jackson School District is cutting back its annual school supply list for parents.

“We’re asking for essential supplies only,” said Merideth Pobst, the district’s communications director.

“We want to help families who’ve been out of work since March or have faced other difficulties to save money,” said Pobst, adding Jackson students should reuse items from last year if possible.

Gone from the district’s yearly request, for example, are items such as dry erase markers and facial tissues.

Pobst said if families need help in providing school supplies for their children, the district stands ready to help.

“As part of our ‘Love All, Serve All’ mission,” Pobst said, “we will do everything we can to ensure students have an equitable start to the school year.

Classes in the 5,400-student district are slated to begin Aug. 24.

Pobst said 568 students are opting to start the school year virtually in Jackson’s homegrown Ignite Online program.