TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — With the start of a new school year fast approaching, the Salvation Army has partnered with Sun Tran and the Tucson Fire Department to host its first-ever “Back to School Stuff the Bus” donation drive.
The event is being held at the El Con Mall Walmart and runs until 6 p.m. Friday. Organizers are collecting school supplies to help local children prepare for the upcoming year.
“This year we wanted to add a ‘back to school Stuff the Bus,’ because we need more supplies,” said Kelli Beasley, public relations coordinator for the Salvation Army in Tucson. “We want to be able to give as many backpacks filled with supplies to as many kids as we can.”
Requested donations include backpacks, pencils, pens, glue, folders, notebooks and loose-leaf paper — basic essentials for schoolchildren. According to Beasley, the supplies will be distributed at an event called “Child Spree,” where 150 children will receive filled backpacks and shop for clothing with a volunteer.
The supplies will also benefit families served at three Salvation Army locations: All Nations, the Amphi Corps and the Hospitality House shelter.
“Our mission is to do whatever we can for the community that we’re in,” said Beasley. “This is just another thing that we’ve added for the month of July.”
Firefighters and EMTs joined the effort, offering goody bags to kids, tours of fire trucks and emergency preparedness tips for parents.
If donors can’t make it to the Walmart location, monetary donations can be made online at salvationarmytucson.org.
“When I’m passionate about something, I can talk about it,” Beasley said. “Helping struggling and homeless families get what they need for their children—it’s just huge for them.”
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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