Stuff the Bus donations head to United Way to be prepared for distribution

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Monday was a big day as Western Mass News delivered school supply donations you, our viewers, brought to our studios last week as we once again partnered with the United Way of Pioneer Valley for their annual Stuff the Bus campaign.

If there is a lesson we can all be taught in school, it is always important to show acts of kindness and, once again, the United Way of Pioneer Valley is doing just that with their 19th annual Stuff the Bus campaign. On Monday, United Way’s Director of Community Impact Jennifer Kinsman had nothing but smiles when she saw how much was brought to their Springfield office, thanks to our Western Mass News viewers.

“I am overwhelmed. This is so awesome,” Kinsman said. “Some people ordered on Amazon, some people came to the door with an armload of supplies, and other places collected on their job site and brought them over to us.”

Thanks to these donations and more from around the area, backpacks full of supplies, from notebooks to pencils to looseleaf paper, will be going out to hundreds of kids in need throughout Hampden and Hampshire Counties as the new school year is about to begin. Western Mass News once again partnered with effort and Kinsman said the station almost doubled last year’s collections.

“Western Mass News has been a wonderful partner for the last few years. This year, you outdid yourselves with getting the word out. Your van was absolutely jam-packed with supplies,” Kinsman added.

While it is a day of celebration for the nonprofit, Kinsman told us the job is not done yet.

“We have volunteers coming in on Wednesday from Eversource at 12 people. They will be helping us finish up all of the packing of all these wonderful backpacks we have,” Kinsman explained.

Overall, Kinsman is grateful for all who have contributed to help students in need, many of them without permanent homes.

“I know students will walk into school just like any other kid, even if they’re surfing on a couch and they will have what they need to get the school day started,” Kinsman noted.

The effort concludes with the United Way loading up all of the supplies onto a Peter Pan bus and dropping them off across Hampden and Hampshire Counties on the morning of August 22.