OSWEGO, NY– Although school won’t resume for four more weeks, volunteers with United Way of Oswego County’s Annual Stuff-A-Bus campaign are already starting to gear up for the new school year in September. Once again, the distribution location for children in the Oswego City School District will take place at the Oswego Elks Lodge.
“Last year, Oswego Elks Lodge #271 was willing to partner with us on a place to collect, count and distribute school supplies,” Stuff-A-Bus Co-Chair Laurie Kelly said. “The Elks welcomed the opportunity to work with us again by providing their hall for the August 24 distribution, and we are grateful to them for this continued partnership,” Kelly added.
Oswego Elks Lodge #271 is gearing up to take part in this year’s Stuff-A-Bus campaign again.
“Our mission is to help the youth of our community, and are thrilled to be a central location for the 2023-24 school supply distribution. We look forward to the opportunity to continue working with United Way of Oswego County and youth programs throughout Oswego,” Exalted Ruler Michael Loughrey said .
Now in its 21st year of existence, United Way’s Stuff-A-Bus campaign has continually evolved to meet the changing needs of the Oswego County community, and the 2023 school supply drive will be no exception.
“United Way takes great pride in supporting this initiative by identifying the needs of the community and supporting the solutions to address those needs,” United Way Executive Director and Stuff-A-Bus Co-Chair Patrick Dewine said.
“We continue to see additional support throughout the community year after year; in 2022 alone, we were able to provide 1,730 children with a total of 33,415 school items across Oswego County,” Dewine added.
The mission of this program is to ensure all children in Oswego County have the tools they need to be ready to learn on the first day of school.
“We are only able to continue this tradition thanks to our large network of volunteers across the county, our dedicated partners in each of the nine school districts, and countless business partners who connect and engage with our mission,” Dewine said. “We are happy to be able to continue providing this needed service to families in our community.”
On Aug. 23, several school buses will be located across Oswego County at the following sites from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to accept donations of school supplies, including pens, pencils, index cards, backpacks, rulers, and more.
- Walmart – State Route 104 in Oswego
- Top’s Supermarket – Route 3 in Hannibal
- Kinney Drugs – 3873 Rome Road in Pulaski
- Bullhead Point – W. Broadway in Fulton
- Kinney Drugs – 3318 Main Street in Mexico
- Three Rivers Plaza – Route 57 in Phoenix **(9 a.m.-1 p.m)
Distribution dates of the school supplies to children will vary by school district. To plan on attending the event within your child’s district, the schedule is as follows:
- A-P-W – Monday, Aug. 28, 8-11 a.m. at APW Bus Garage
- Central Square – Thurs., Aug. 24, 3-6 p.m. at Central Square Middle School Cafeteria
- Fulton – Thurs., Aug. 24, 4-7 p.m. at Fulton War Memorial
- Hannibal – Friday, Aug. 25, 1 – 3 p.m. at Hannibal District Board Office
- Mexico – Friday, Aug. 25, 8-11 a.m. at Mexico Middle School
- Oswego – Thursday, Aug. 24, 3 – 6 p.m., or until supplies last, at Oswego Elks
- Phoenix – Tuesday, Aug. 29, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Maroun Elementary Gym
- Pulaski – Thursday, Aug. 24, 1–3 p.m. at Pulaski High School
- Sandy Creek – Friday, Aug. 25, 5:30–6:30 p.m. at the Oswego County Fairgrounds
Families are only allowed to attend the distribution in their school district. A copy of the student’s 2022-2023 report card may be required to participate. If entering a district for the first time, or transferred into a new district, an enrollment letter from that district is required.
School supplies will be available for those who would find it challenging to purchase the supplies that their child needs for school. Volunteers will be on hand to assist and guide the children and to make sure they get the supplies they really need.
For more information on the Stuff-A-Bus campaign contact United Way’s office at 315-593-1900 opt. 4 or visit www.oswegounitedway.org.
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