Stuff the Bus helping hundreds of kids get ready for school

A program that collects backpacks and school supplies for students in need in the Foothills is helping hundreds of kids get ready for the school year.

The MyCityCare Stuff the Bus campaign fills backpacks with school supplies and provides them to families in need. Registrations are accepted until Sept. 1. 

“Currently we have 425 children registered for our program,” said Lorna Jewer, director of MyCityCare Okotoks, adding she anticipates the number will go up.

About 380 students were signed up last year. 

Donations have been steady since the program launched earlier this summer, Jewer said, and they are still being accepted at drop-off locations and at MyCityCare in Okotoks.

"I did want to say a big ‘thank you’ to those people and businesses that have been donating money and school supplies already,” she said. "But we still have backpacks to pack, so we'll be accepting donations until the end of the month." 

The program aims to relieve some financial strain that parents might experience around the start of the school year, and Jewer said there are a couple of reasons for the increase in registrations. 

One reason is more people are becoming aware of the program, and the other is the rising cost of living, she added.

“That’s where MyCityCare can step in," she said. "We see the need, and we want to help meet it.

“If (parents) had to choose between buying school supplies and paying their bills, kids are going to have to go to school without school supplies.” 

In Okotoks, donations of backpacks and school supplies can be dropped off at Built Strong, F45, Yooneek Books, Main Street Market & More, Foothills Cleaners, MCG Careers, Thrive Chiropractic, McFarlane Agencies, Momentum Physical Therapy, Staples and Loop Kids consignment. 

When a student gets a new backpack filled with school supplies, they are excited and smiling, she said. 

“Maybe I'm reading a little bit into it, but I think I see a little relief on parents' faces,” she added. 

The program is designed for families in Okotoks, and in the Foothills areas as far east as Vulcan. Registration is available here. 

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/mycitycareokotoks or www.parallelchurch.com/programs/mycitycare.