With the return to school fast approaching, businesses and organizations throughout the community are banding together to “Stuff the Bus” with school supplies for Beaufort County children in need.

On Saturday, Aug. 18, from 9 a.m. to noon, a bright yellow school bus will be parked in front of Walmart of Washington so that shoppers can conveniently donate school supplies purchased that day. The same day, donations will also be accepted at the Turnage Theatre, where the nonprofit is hosting a “stuff the window” campaign.

“It’s a partnership between Beaufort County Schools and the United Way,” Beaufort County United Way Executive Director Sally Love said. “A lot of the United Ways across the country are doing this at this time of year for the children who just don’t have enough money to buy supplies for the first day of school.”

While individual shoppers contribute heavily to the campaign, a number of local businesses are also getting in on the act. Among others, staff members at Vidant and Crescom are in the process of collecting supplies to donate on the big day.

With school system staff on site during collection, the donations are sorted by grade level and prepared for kids at various schools throughout the county.

In addition to material donations, businesses and individuals can also sponsor windows on the bus or at AOP. Suddenlink, for instance, is the front window sponsor for the bus, donating $350 to to the cause. Sylvan Learning Center, likewise is sponsoring a window. After the collection, these funds being utilized by the school district to add to the donated supplies.

Materials needed include:

• Backpacks — Early childhood through 12th grade
• #2 Pencils
• Pencil boxes
• Three-ring notebooks
• Blue and black pens
• Spiral notebooks — College and wide ruled
• Notebook Paper — College and wide ruled
• Three-ring Binders — 1-inch and 2-inch
• Two-pocket folders
• 24 count crayons
• Glue sticks
• Glue — eight and 16 ounce bottles
• Markers
• Colored pencils
• Washable markers
• Rulers
• Scissors
• Erasers
• Highlighters
• Watercolor paints
• Small paperback dictionaries

For more information about the Stuff the Bus Campaign, visit www.unitedwaybc.net.