Stuff the Bus goes virtual this year

June 26, 2020

Fort Pierce –

Stuff the Bus - the school-supplies drive that ensures children in foster care return to school with the proper tools - is back again this summer.

But unlike past years spent under the hot summer sun collecting supplies from the front doors of St. Lucie County Wal-Mart stores, this year's campaign will take place from comfortably climate-controlled homes everywhere.

The United Way of St. Lucie County kicked off its virtual adaptation of the decades-long project June 1, and will take donations through July 24. The change was made as part of the COVID-19 response.

Donors can contribute school supplies online by purchasing items from an Amazon wish list. Supplies will be delivered directly to the United Way and then distributed to schools and to Communities Connected for Kids, a longtime Stuff the Bus partner. Check out the Amazon list by visiting cckids.net and clicking the Stuff the Bus banner. You can also access the list from unitedwayslc.org.

"We'll miss the collection this year and the opportunity to interact with shoppers and donors, but we're thankful that the United Way was able to come up with an alternative that would keep everyone safe from possible exposure to the coronavirus and still get supplies to children in foster care," said Christina Kaiser, CCKids community relations director.