1,770 Reasons to Say Thank You!

For 1,770 kids across Oswego County, back-to-school basics were waiting for them this year, thanks to the community support behind United Way of Greater Oswego County’s 24th annual Stuff-A-Bus campaign.

This summer, 52,658 school supplies were collected through donations, workplace drives and collection sites across the county–13,155 more supplies than collected in 2025, an increase of more than 33 percent. But for United Way, the success of Stuff-A-Bus is more than the final count.

52,658 supplies is an incredible number, but the number that really resonates with us is 1,770. That’s 1,770 local kids who had one less thing to worry about when they walked through the school doors this year. This is why our community continues to support Stuff-A-Bus.

Since 2003, Stuff-A-Bus has worked to make sure children throughout Oswego County have the supplies they need to begin a new school year. What started as a small school supply drive has grown into a countywide effort supported by local businesses, school districts, organizations, volunteers and families.

The campaign culminated August 19th, when volunteers collected donations at locations throughout Oswego County. Those supplies joined thousands of others collected throughout the summer before volunteers sorted, counted and prepared them for distribution.

Every part of this happens because someone decides to help. Someone buys an extra backpack. A business puts out a collection box. A volunteer gives up part of their day. When you put all of those individual acts together, 1,770 kids across our county start school with what they need.

Stuff-A-Bus reached students in the Altmar-Parish-Williamstown, Central Square, Fulton, Hannibal, Mexico, Oswego, Phoenix, and Sandy Creek school districts.

This annual initiative cannot be done alone. United Way extends our heartfelt gratitude to Oswego Elks Lodge #271, which once again opened its doors to provide space to collect, count and distribute supplies to the districts in Oswego County and then serve as the host for students in the Oswego City School District to receive their school supplies.

I applaud each person who dropped school supplies into a collection box, donated funds, and our volunteers who helped fill student’s backpacks. United Way credits this year’s results to a community that continues to take care of its kids.

The success of this initiative is also made possible by the kindness and generosity of the community members who step up to volunteer. My sincerest thanks goes out to Laurie and John Kelly, Luann Kehoe, Christine Novak and Carol Brooks, all of the school district coordinators along with their volunteers, the Men’s Oswego State Hockey coaches and team members, as well as OCSD National Honor Society Students. As you can see, it takes a village to raise a child and United Way of Oswego County is fortunate to have the best supporters.

With sincere appreciation,

Patrick Dewine

Executive Director

UWGOC