Stuff the Bus Collects School Supplies and More

Photo by Eric Ayres

WHEELING - Members of the Bethlehem Apostolic Temple in Wheeling welcomed donations of school supplies from generous members of the Ohio Valley community on Saturday during the church’s annual Stuff the Bus event.

The annual back to school drive for school supplies took place in the parking lot outside the church in North Wheeling, collecting loads of items students will be needing when classes for the new school year begin later this month.

Volunteers from Bethlehem Apostolic Temple helped welcome those who participated with donations for Stuff the Bus.

"We’re accepting pencils, crayons, clothes, shoes for kids, lunch boxes - anything that has to do with school," said Andrea J. Duska, member of Bethlehem Apostolic Temple and volunteer at the Stuff the Bus event on Saturday.

The school supplies drives and subsequent giveaways coordinated by the church have been taking place since 1990, according to Bishop Darrell Cummings. The annual event to collect needed school items has taken place at different locations in the past - at times outside of retail stores, and sometimes in the church parking lot - but regardless of the location, members of the community come with big hearts and an eagerness to help children head into the new school year on the right foot.

"Any kind of school supplies, clothes, and anything like that is welcome," said Karen Tucci of Bethlehem Apostolic Temple, who was also on hand Saturday among the group of volunteers taking donations. "Personal care items are accepted, too - toothbrushes, combs, and things like that."

All of the items collected during Saturday’s Stuff the Bus event will be distributed to students who need them next weekend during the annual Adopt a Student Giveaway on Saturday, Aug. 8, at the North Wheeling Dream Center. There will be a variety of school supplies, clothes, food and more at the event, which starts at 10 a.m.

"We don’t limit it because of people’s incomes or what state they’re from," Duska said. "If they have a need and they show up, it’s first-come, first-serve, and we’re happy to help out."

Tucci stressed the importance of local community support for students and families who are in need this school year, as it has been widely reported that the state’s annual School Clothing Allowance program funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program was shut down because of a lack of funding.

"West Virginia has taken away support for those students, so this helps to get them what they need," she noted. "This is for anybody. They don’t have to be a member of the church or anything."

Duska said the Stuff the Bus event and annual Adopt a Student Giveaway truly make an impact, as do the people who bring in donations.

"We really appreciate everybody," Duska said. "It truly blesses people. You don’t have any idea how many people there are whose children do not have what they need for school. When they come in, they just really appreciate it."

Receiving new clothes and new school supplies helps students not only to be prepared for class as the new school year unfolds, it also arms them with a little boost in confidence as they return with all of the other students.

"This gets the kids in the spirit of going back to school, because those who do not have will now have something," Duska said. "They come back and see other kids who have new stuff - they can have new stuff, too."

The giveaway will take place on Saturday, then on Sunday, Aug. 9, a celebration will be held around the Wheeling Park Amphitheater in anticipation of the coming 2026-27 school year.

"The Back to School Festival will be at Wheeling Park on Sunday," Duska said. "We’re giving the kids something to celebrate to go back. We’ll have food, games, bouncy castles and music. And ice cream."

For more information, call the church at 304-233-8899.