ROCKINGHAM — Two Richmond County school buses covered in sponsorship banners were parked between the two main entrances of Walmart on Tuesday.
In front of those buses were multiple shopping carts filled with school supplies for the annual Stuff the Bus campaign.
Stuff the Bus, now in its 15th year, is a collaboration between United Way of Richmond County and Richmond County Schools to collect supplies for students whose families may need a little help for the school year.
Michelle Parrish, executive director of UWRC, said there were 66 sponsors this year: “…the most we’ve ever had.” That number is up from 60 in 2022 and 53 in 2021.
“Richmond County businesses really did show up and show out to show support for our students in need to make sure they have a good start to their school year,” Parrish said.
According to Parrish, more than $10,000 had been collected before she and others went shopping for supplies.
Volunteers from the school district (including Superintendent Dr. Joe Ferrell), Planet Fitness, REV Federal Credit Union, and the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce helped fill carts while student members of the Richmond Senior High School Beta Club solicited donations at the doors.
Items purchased included: pallets of paper; packs of pens, pencils and crayons; and notebooks and folders.
There was even a cart full of hand sanitizer and one packed with snacks.
Parrish said new items this year included earbuds and flash drives, since students now work a lot on computers.
After stuffing the buses, the supplies are counted and separated by school, and Beta Club members will deliver them to the respective schools on Thursday, Parrish said. From there, school administrators will determine how the supplies are distributed.
On one end of the back-to-back buses, the Richmond County Partnership for Children had a table set up to give out free books and promote its affiliation with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Parrish thanked the sponsors and the community “for making this the most successful event.”
