School supplies stuff the bus

School supplies donated by Grand Valley students, faculty and staff members were stuffed into a yellow school bus at the Eberhard Center September 11 for the Heart of West Michigan United Way Stuff the Bus campaign.

Stuff the Bus is a community-wide collection of classroom supplies to benefit Schools of Hope schools in Cedar Springs, Godfrey-Lee, Godwin and Grand Rapids Public Schools.

Donated items included paper, pencils, colored pencils, erasers, crayons, glue sticks, markers, pens, folders and three-ring binders. Collection boxes were made available beginning August 27 at various locations at the Allendale and Pew Grand Rapids campuses. About a dozen large boxes were filled with donated items, worth about $1,500.

Linda Masselink, senior librarian at the Steelcase Library, joined other volunteers in gathering the Grand Valley donations and loading them onto the bus. “United Way was most  appreciative of our efforts to help children and teachers in local school systems,” said Masselink. “We know the supplies are going to be put to good use.”

Grand Valley’s United Way Campaign for 2012 will run from October 8-19.