The group set up a website last year so Georgians who couldn’t make it in person could donate online.
The goal for this year’s event was to surpass last year’s collection of almost 6,000 backpacks. DHI Homebuilders gave them a head start by donating over 1,200 bags.
As neighborhood members drove in to drop off much-needed supplies on Saturday, Stuff the Bus volunteers set up boxes and containers for arriving donations in the stifling heat.
As they worked toward the objective, volunteers encouraged one another and reminded one another to drink plenty of water.
According to her, twenty-two years ago, packing a single bus full of school supplies for children from disadvantaged and underresourced backgrounds took four days. Eight busses are now parked throughout metro Atlanta, twenty-two years later.
Zaire Breedlove is credited.
Zaire Breedlove is credited.
Pressley also discussed the financial impact on children, pointing out that this event helps close the gap because not all families can afford new notebooks and backpacks.
We are confident that this initiative will have a significant impact given the state of the economy and the difficulties that many underprivileged and marginalized families are currently facing, she said.
That sentiment was mirrored by Cliff Kinsey, CEO of the Children’s Restoration Network, who highlighted how children may find it difficult to stay motivated in the absence of basic supplies like pencils and backpacks.
According to Kinsey, a lot of children are anxious and live in difficult circumstances. Where will I find my book bag? In what location will I purchase my school supplies? It might be quite discouraging for them to arrive on that first day, sometimes with nothing.
Kinsey thinks that the fact that someone cares about the children and wants them to succeed on their first day back will have a greater influence on them than the materials alone.
The adage “it’s better to give than to receive” is accurate. He added that even if the children will never know your identity, they will know that someone cared. They need to know that people are concerned about them and that we will do everything in our power to support them.
Families were to receive supplies on Sunday at noon at Allen Temple AME Church, 1625 Joseph E. Boone Blvd. Additionally, they intend to serve barbecued foods like hotdogs and hamburgers.
