With just a few precious weeks until the start of school for USD 383, the Manhattan community braved blazing temperatures on the Walmart parking lot Saturday to make sure less fortunate kids have the school supplies they need.
For the 10th year, the Konza United Way and kstate CREDIT UNION, along with Manhattan Broadcasting, teamed up for the annual “Stuff the Bus” school supply drive. Volunteers handed out shopping guides for shoppers with school supplies needed for students in the district.
Angie Reed, the director of marketing for kstate CREDIT UNION, said the drive easily met its goal.
“The bus looks great,” she said. “We’ve been working with the school district every year so we know what the real need is, and this year in our first meeting we found out there are over 300 children that are classified as homeless in USD 383. For us at the credit union, that’s heartbreaking and that’s why we’re out here.”
Shopper Sara Wilson of Manhattan bought $100 worth of school supplies to donate and said she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to help.
“My sister-in-law just graduated as a teacher and I just see the need of school supplies in the school system,” said Wilson, who’s a nurse at Fort Riley. “I don’t have any kids myself, but I just felt the need to donate. I graduated from Manhattan High in 2004, and it was just something I could do for the community.
“If we can all do something small as a community to bring each other along it can have a big impact. I just felt in my heart like it was something I needed to do.”
Harry Belfield, the regular driver of the bus that was actually stuffed with donations, said he appreciated the good will of others.
“Some (students) aren’t as fortunate as others,” Belfield said. “It helps to give them the chance to experience school the same as others who are a little more fortunate. For me, it’s very rewarding and exciting to see the community come out and pitch in.
“Being a bus driver who’s typically behind the scenes, it’s very rewarding in its own self to be able to be a part of the community like this and I really enjoy doing it.”
Belfield said he takes pride in making sure students start and end their school days in a positive way.
“I love it because I start the kids’ day off when I pick them up and I’m at the end of their day,” he said. “I help create the atmosphere they’re going to go to school with. When the kids sing along with the radio, it’s very rewarding and refreshing to hear that kind of spirit and that I have that little bit of an impact where students are happy when they arrive to school.”
Konza United Way CEO Mark Claussen said the need in the school district for such supplies is real.
“There’s so many families in this area that really struggle financially at times,” he said. “I believe we helped well over 400 children last year in (USD) 383 that received gifts because of this, and I think there will be more than that who need it this year. Times area little bit tougher and it’s a good thing to be able to help them out when we can.”
