Kiwanians Looking To ‘Stuff The Bus’ With School Supplies For Children

The Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon is spearheading a drive to help thousands of underprivileged children as they get ready for the first day of school.

The club has been actively collecting donations throughout the Greater Brandon area and plans to help 2,500 students this year.

With the first day of school looming, local Kiwanians are planning a final “Stuff the Bus” drive for school supplies Aug. 19, from 7-9 a.m., at Kmart, 1602 West Brandon Blvd.

Other county Kiwanis Clubs will have buses throughout Hillsborough County as well for the last day of the group’s “Stuff The Bus” drive.  The community is asked to bring donations or collected school supplies to the buses.

Those who can’t make the “Stuff the Bus” events can still drop off school supplies near the concierge desk at the Westfield Brandon shopping mall, 459 Brandon Town Center Drive, until Sept. 12.

The school-supply drive began four years ago with the Brandon club. It now includes Kiwanis clubs from Tampa, Northwest Hillsborough and Temple Terrace.

“The schools have had such serious budget cuts in the past few years that they need the community to support the students,” said Dustie Amatangelo, a former president of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon, who is coordinating the drive.

“Some students will come to school on the first day unprepared without the right supplies,” she added. "It’s very difficult for those youngsters to succeed without the necessary supplies. You then see dedicated teachers digging into their own pockets to help these children. That’s where we come in.”

Once every pen, pencil and eraser is counted they are farmed out to the schools in the area where they were collected. The administrators at those schools will determine which children need the supplies.

Last year, area Kiwanis clubs helped some 1,500 students. Amatangelo is hoping to add another 1,000 to that figure this year. The early returns are promising.

“We’ve had great reports coming in that the donation bins are stuffed with supplies,” Amatangelo  said.

For more information on the drive, call Amatangelo at 813-294-0645 or email adustie@yahoo.com.

Needed School Supplies

• Copy paper
• Composition Books
• Notebook Paper (wide and college)
• Back Packs, large and small
• #2 pencils
• Spiral Notebooks (single subject)
• Pocket Folders (with and without clasps)
• Crayons (16 pack)
• Markers (8 pack)
• Colored Pencils
• Pens
• Ruler
• Scissors (blunt and regular)
• Glue (regular and stick)
• Hand Sanitizer
• Protractors

Drop-off Locations

• Chili's, 1949 West Brandon Blvd., Valrico
• Chili's, 1281 East Brandon Blvd., Brandon
• Chili's, 3001 James L. Redman Parkway, Plant City
• King's Point, 1900 Clubhouse Drive, Sun City Center
• Regions Bank, 1014 East Brandon Blvd., Brandon
• Westfield Brandon, 459 Brandon Towne Center Drive, Brandon
• Westfield Citrus, 8021 Citrus Park Mall, Tampa
• US Ameribank, 668 Oakfield Drive, Brandon
• Cornerstone Church, 818 North Parsons Ave., Brandon
• Keller Williams, 2119 Brandon Blvd., Brandon
• Pinch A Penny, 3210 Lithia Pinecrest Road, Valrico
• Embassy Suites Hotel, 10220 Palm River Road, Tampa
• Sweetbay, 205 East Alexander St., Plant City
• Stingray Chevrolet, 2002 North Frontage Road, Plant City
• Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce, 9385 North 56th St., Temple Terrace
• Remax Realty, 3859 Sun City Center Blvd., Sun City Center
• St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, 815 College Ave., Ruskin
• St Andrews Presbyterian Church, 1239 Del Webb Blvd., Sun City