'Stuff the Bus' a Vital Vehicle for Students of All Ages

A boy, about 12, looked cautiously over both shoulders before diving in. He was supposed to be in class but, instead, here he was, his hands reaching into a large gray garbage can, pulling out crumpled binder paper. When no one was looking, he would erase the pencil marks left by his fellow classmates and complete his homework assignment on these crumpled grey, smeared sheets.

The boy was not an avid environmentalist or recycler — he couldn't afford his own binder paper for school. 

This was the sight teacher Donna Fitzwater experienced while at a Hayward school one day several years ago. This 12-year-old inspired her to start helping children that did not have the right tools needed to be a student. 

Fast forward some years later and it is now the second annual New Haven Unified School District/Hayward Unified School District “Stuff the Bus” school supply donation drive. The event, which began Friday, is being held this weekend in at Walmart in Union Landing, the event’s sponsor. 

Two school buses, one from each district, will be stationed in the superstore’s parking lot throughout the weekend, available for your donations 24 hours a day. 

All items collected will be sorted by the multiple volunteers from various organizations, including the , the and Rotary of Fremont.

The volunteers will accept donations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, Aug. 13, and tomorrow, Aug. 14, from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. After these hours, donations can purchased within Walmart and placed in donation bins located within the store. 

As a bonus, today's visitors can also catch a special food truck festival in support of the donation drive from 4:30 to 9 p.m.

“There is an increasing need for basic supplies among our kids,” said Rick La Plante, director of parent and community relations for NHUSD. 

The volunteers will do their best to get it all sorted and distributed by the time school starts, but there are a lot of items to go through, La Plante noted.

Of course, any donation is more than welcome, said Fitzwater, but what "Stuff the Bus" could really use are backpacks. Not just cute, cartoon character-emblazoned ones for the elementary set, but also ones for middle and high school age youth. 

Older children still need basic school supplies, just like the 12-year-old boy Fitzwater encountered that day at a Hayward school, she said.

Come on out to the Walmart parking lot and join in the fun of “stuffing the bus” with items that are not just school supplies, but also tools to help our community’s children grow and learn.