'Stuff the Bus' Assists San Diego Students Experiencing Homelessness

From the San Diego County Office of Education:

Thousands of San Diego County students experiencing homelessness are heading back to school this fall ready to learn thanks to the over-the-top Stuff the Bus school supplies drive conducted by the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and San Diego County Credit Union® (SDCCU®).

“The quality and quantity of supplies far exceeded our expectations,” said Susie Terry, project specialist with SDCOE’s homeless education services. “We were able to assist more students than ever before. And the need has never been greater, with 23,000 school-age children experiencing homelessness in San Diego County.”

About 250,000 new school supplies collected over the six-week Stuff the Bus campaign have been distributed to 34 school districts and 15 charter schools throughout the county. Eighty percent of the school districts that requested supplies had their need met in full. In the 2015 school supplies drive, only 45 percent of districts had their request met in full.

“SDCCU Stuff the Bus received an incredible amount of support from the community this year, collecting a record number of supplies for students in the region experiencing homelessness. It was so wonderful to see the community come together to support this effort,” said Teresa Halleck, SDCCU president and CEO. “We thank everyone who donated to help provide these students with basic supplies to help better prepare them to succeed in the classroom.”

Added Michelle Lustig, SDCOE’s manager of foster youth and homeless education services: “The response to this effort was truly extraordinary this year, leading to unprecedented results.”

Employees from SDCOE, SDCCU, and Carlsbad-based Vessel spent countless hours over several days at Monarch School -- SDCOE’s K-12 campus serving children who are homeless -- sorting supplies and packing them for delivery to districts by SDCOE’s truck-mail team.

The six-week campaign included an online component, collection bins at SDCOE and SDCCU sites, iHeartRadio promotions at three local Walmart stores, and the signature feature -- two wrapped school buses roaming the county collecting donations.

Personalities from iHeartRadio stations Channel 93.3, Star 94.1, and JAM’N 95.7 hosted programming at several Walmart stops, enthusiastically promoting the drive and interviewing experts like Vista Unified’s homeless services liaison Michelle Walsh and partner donors.

“The entire crew at iHeartRadio San Diego were thrilled to be part of the Stuff the Bus campaign,” said John Peake, iHeartRadio senior vice president of programming for the San Diego-Riverside Region. “San Diegans are a generous group and our listeners showed up with their arms full of school supplies to donate. I hope that our efforts helped make a difference for some of San Diego’s homeless students.”

The campaign also raised nearly $12,000 online, $9,000 through in-branch donations, and $2,700 at SDCCU’s Super Shred Event. Luxury bag maker Vessel stepped forward after hearing about Stuff the Bus on the radio, donating 1,000 new backpacks.

"Vessel is proud to be a last-minute partner,” Vessel Marketing Manager Stephanie Beyer said. “After spending some time volunteering to pack the backpacks and meeting all the staff involved, you can tell the passion and focus is all for the kids."

Additional major donors include Passion Planner, which donated 2,000 planners; Coronado Distribution Co., which delivered $10,000 in supplies; and longtime SDCOE school supplies drive supporter Jolie Ludington, a 7-year-old from Rancho Penasquitos. Jolie was adopted, and she celebrates her adoption day with a party every year and asks guests to bring donations for a cause that she picks. When she was 4, Jolie was so eager to start school that she asked for school supplies, and the cause stuck. This year, Jolie and her friends and family collected more than $1,000 in supplies.

The County of San Diego Housing & Community Development, Eli Lilly, Congregation Beth Israel, and the City of Chula Vista also hosted collection bins.

By the Numbers

Supplies collected in the 2016 Stuff the Bus drive include:

101,934 Crayons

35,634 Pencils

29,680 Markers

17,097 Packs of paper

9,399 Glue sticks

8,076 Mechanical pencils

8,056 Pens

5,689 Erasers

4,818 Backpacks

4,700 Pencil sharpeners

4,118 Highlighters

3,958 Subject folders

2,000 Planners

1,983 Packs of color pencils

1,979 Binders

1,857 Scissors

1,855 Pencil pouches

1,855 Rulers

1,855 Index cards

Images via the San Diego County Office of Education:

Image 1: Seven-year-old Jolie Ludington of Rancho Penasquitos ready to drop off school supplies that she collected. Credit: Courtesy of the Ludington family

Image 2: One of the two wrapped buses used by San Diego County Credit Union in the six-week campaign. Credit: Courtesy of SDCCU

Image 3: Volunteers and employees from SDCOE, SDCCU, and Vessel sort and pack the thousands of school supplies at the Monarch School gym on Aug. 12. Credit: Courtesy of SDCOE