‘Stuff the bins’: Salvation Army and Walmart moving forward with annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive with mitigation

WASILLA— The Salvation Army’s annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive with their partner Walmart is going ahead with social distancing steps in place this weekend.

Shoppers at the Wasilla Walmart Supercenter will have the same opportunity as those across the country to support students in their communities by purchasing school supplies and donating them at the end of their visit.

“We anticipate this number will increase significantly this year due to the economic impact the novel coronavirus has had on already struggling families in Alaska,” Alaska Salvation Army Major John Brackenbury stated in a recent press release.

According to Mat-Su Valley Salvation Army Corps Officer Kevin Botjen, the idea is years past has been to literally stuff a school bus as full as they can with donated school supplies.

That’s going to be different this year. Instead of parking a bus in the Walmart parking lot with several volunteers onsite talking to customers, there will be no actual bus and no volunteers on site. Botjen said he was thankful for Walmart’s support keeping it going.

“This year it’s not happening but that’s understandable... but school supplies are needed and we’re glad Walmart is working with us,” Botjen said.

Shoppers will still be able to shop for school supplies and donate them when they check out, only it will be in bins within the facility. Botjen said the bins will likely be by customer service.

“It’s gonna be stuff the bins,” Botjen said with a laugh.

The process may look fairly different this year, but the goal is the same. In fact, Botjen pointed out the need to keep this tradition going for local students is proving to be all the more prevalent with the current coranvirus situation still affecting everyday lives of countless families.

“If parents don’t have to worry about getting school supplies for the children, that’s one less worry they have when it comes to finances. Things still aren’t back to normal obviously; and they won’t be for some time from the look of things,” Botjen said.

Botjen said after the weekend of donations, volunteers will come to pick up the supplies. He noted that every year, the Salvation Army purchases extra backpacks and other supplies to ensure every backpack distributed is equal.

“We want to make sure when we give a kid a backpack, it’s stuffed full of good stuff,” Botjen said.

The Stuff the Bus campaign runs all weekend, from Friday, Aug. 7 through Sunday, Aug. 9 at participating Walmart stores, including the Wasilla Supercenter.

People can still make monetary donations to the school supply drive by visiting the Mat-Su Salvation Army’s office or by calling them at 907-745-7079.

The Mat-Su Salvation Army has been on the ground, supporting Valley residents with a range of support since the outbreak started affecting Alaska. Botjen said they’ve been helping people with everything from utilities assistance to providing food and other necessities. He said as more households find themselves in need due to the pandemic, they’re all the more ready to answer the call.

“We’re here,” Botjen said. We help the entire Mat-Su Valley. Please contact us,” Botjen said.

The Salvation Army’s next community event will support local Valley students once again during their annual Coat Drive and Coat Drive event with Primelending in October.

To learn more and find out how to get involved with the Mat-Su Salvation Army, visit mat-suvalley.salvationarmy.org.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com