2025 Stuff the Bus Campaign moves into next phase

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Today is one of the days we have been waiting for this summer, as the 2025 Stuff The Bus Campaign moves to its next phase.

Our station brought school supplies and backpacks donated by you, the viewers, and partners to united way of pioneer valley to help kids have what they need just in time for the school year.

It’s the moment all of us at Western Mass News have been waiting for: loading our van with donated school supplies and bringing them to United Way of Pioneer Valley in downtown Springfield.

Bag by bag, box by box, our crew worked tirelessly to make sure everything donated to our lobby was packed up and ready to send out to kids who need these items the most.

Once everything was in place, it was time to deliver, all to the delight of united way’s chief development officer, Jessica Prokop, “Just so grateful. Our community is so generous and so kind. We received so many great calls and emails just thanking us doing stuff the bus, and I could not be happier with the results.”

Results such as our collection effort possibly tripling last year’s.

Even better, when we spoke to Prokop earlier this week, she told Western Mass News the number of backpacks could be a hundred more than the original goal of 700.

Today, that number went up, “I would say we’re closer to 900 backpacks. And what we’re going to do with those additional backpacks is we’ve had some partner agencies reach out and say, ‘Hey, if you have any extra, we’ll take them,” said Jessica.

When the volunteers arrived, it was time to load their truck.

Prokop highlighted some of the other supplies that students in need could benefit from, “Pencil sharpeners are, like, one of the number one of the things that we’re always looking for because they’re tiny and they’re small. And people kind of want to get the backpack, but pencil sharpeners are super important. We put them in every backpack.”

Over the last few days, multiple organizations and partners have been helping sort and count supplies.

Even though the transfer is complete, there is still work to do. Now there’s just one main thing left to do, Stuff the bus.

That will take place beginning at 8:30 a.m. on august 21.