Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – August 2, 2025 – Residents of Northeast Arkansas donated 43,232 individual school supply items plus $7,600 in cash to Saturday’s Stuff the Bus effort. The collections were made at multiple Wal-Mart locations across Northeast Arkansas.
Saturday’s donations outpaced the 2024 collection effort by over 1,565 items. United Way of Northeast Arkansas Executive Director Heather Coates told K8 News supplies collected by “team drives” will continue to come into United Way’s office next week which will add to Saturday’s totals.
“We feel that no kid should have to worry about what they’re going to write with,” said Anna Saucedo, Director of Marketing and Finance with Swept Away, one of the sponsors of Saturday’s event.
Volunteers from school districts in Craighead, Greene, Randolph, Lawrence, Poinsett, Mississippi and Cross Counties set-up collection points at Wal-Mart locations. School busses from the schools called attention to the event. This was the 20th year for Stuff the Bus which is organized by the United Way of Northeast Arkansas, KAIT-TV and the Jonesboro Media Group.
Brookland, Jonesboro, Nettleton, Westside, Valley View, Rivercrest, Osceola, Paragould, Greene County Tech, Maynard, Pocahontas, Bay, Trumann, Harrisburg, Imboden Area Charter School, Walnut Ridge, Hoxie, Wynne, and Cross County schools all receive supplies from the Stuff the Bus effort.
Several students from the Jonesboro Mayor’s Youth Advancement Council volunteered for Stuff the Bus. Mayor Harold Copenhaver said he was glad to see the youth involved. “Stuff the Bus allows each and every student to start out on the same foot,” Copenhaver told K8 News’ Diana Davis. “It gives a boost to the teachers and educators as well so that they can go ahead and educate and not worry about the needs of their students.”