SOUTH POINT — The United Way of the River Cities and Ohio University Southern are partnering for the ninth year to get school supplies for kids in need in Lawrence County during their annual “Stuff the Bus” event at the South Point Walmart.

And this year, the United Way is looking for a few more volunteers to help pack supplies into the bus on Aug. 3.

“We are looking for about 10, that would be great. If we get more, we can use them and if we get less than that we’ll just work harder,” Brent Sturm, volunteer engagement coordinator for United Way of the River Cities, said with a laugh. “It is a bigger Walmart with two entrances so it takes a little more staff.”

The event is outdoors, rain or shine, from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. Volunteers need to be over the age of 12 and get there about 9:30 a.m. to help.

Strum said that the volunteers will hand out lists of needed school supplies to people as they walk into Walmart and ask them to add an item or two to their cart.

“Then volunteers will help get the stuff on the bus,” Sturm said.

He added they will keep an inventory of school supplies.

“Mostly, it will just be talking to folks and asking them to add an item or two to their purchase,” Sturm said. “We always appreciate the support of the community.”

While they don’t have an exact number of students helped out by the Stuff the Bus drive, last year, the community donated almost $1,800 worth of school supplies.

“We did get 887 spiral notebooks,” Sturm said.

Sarah Diamond Burroway, OUS’s director of External Relations and Communications, said Ohio University Southern thinks it is important that all students have the needed supplies to succeed in school.

“That is why we have participated in Stuff the Bus for the past several years,” she said. “We want to help prepare younger students to have the foundational experience in  grades kindergarten through 12th. And Ohio Southern is always happy to help the community.”

The bus is provided by Lawrence County Transit and U.S. Bank is also partnering with the school supply effort.

For more information on volunteering for this event, go to https://tinyurl.com/y6fndezx