United Way of Mat-Su prepares for drive-thru Stuff the Bus back to school supply giveaway

WASILLA — United Way of Mat-Su staff and volunteers are preparing for the annual Stuff the Bus back to school giveaway at the Menard Sports Center Monday, Aug. 17.

This year’s giveaway will be a drive-thru model with social distancing measures in place.

United Way of Mat-Su Outreach Coordinator Michele Harmeling said that everyone coming through will be required to wear masks, and all their onsite volunteers will also be wearing masks.

“We’re just trying to make sure we’re health and safety conscious, but drive-thu is kind of fun and probably convenient for folks,” Harmeling said.

Harmeling said that United Way established a streamlined system that mitigates contact while providing Valley students with essential school supplies in a timely manner.

“You don’t even have to leave your car,” Harmeling said.

Traffic volunteers will be assisting drivers at the entrances as they make their way from the entrance to the drive thru lane. After people park, they pop open their trunks for the volunteers to drop in the backpacks filled with school supplies, then they leave through the designated exit.

Harmeling noted that homeschool students are also eligible for this program. She said those picking up the supplies do not have to be the child’s parents, and they don’t have to bring their children. She said that everyone will need to bring proof of enrollment for each student.

“We just try to keep it on the honor system there, one backpack per student,” Harmeling said.

Registered students across the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District from Kindergarten to 12th grade are eligible for free backpacks filled with basic school supplies required for their respective grade groups.

According to Harmeling, they give out between 1,100 to 1,300 each year on average. She said the program has evolved over the years and some year's they've literally stuffed school buses full of supplies.

“It will be interesting to see what that looks like this year because it’s a very different school year for sure,” Harmeling said.

United Way Mat-Su has offered this service to the community for over a decade, participating in the organization’s national Day of Action series.

“This is just us doing how we do back to school,” Harmeling said. “It’s fun for them to get that backpack put right in their hands, and to be able to go through their school supplies. It makes them a little more excited for the first day of school knowing they’ve got all that brand new stuff.”

The event has taken place at the Menard for several years. People usually have the chance to look around inside, but everything will be outdoors and contained to vehicles this year.

Harmeling said this year’s giveaway will look different, but the goal remains the same.

“This year we’re gonna hopefully have some fun drive thru volunteers and some fun backpacks and still have the same school supplies people have come to rely on. It’s just going to be a little bit of a different format this year,” Harmeling said.

On Monday, people can pick up backpacks from 12 to 4:30 p.m. at the Menard Sports Center.

United Way of Mat-Su is still looking for volunteers for this event. Anyone interested in signing up can do so by visiting their website at unitedwaymatsu.org, and clicking the box for Stuff the Bus.

For more information, call 907-745-5824.

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