Genesis “Pack the Bus” School Supply Drive Returns for Fourth Year
Davenport, Iowa – July 7, 2022 – What began in 2019 as a way to give back to the Quad Cities region for Genesis Health System’s 150th anniversary continues to gain momentum in 2022. For a fourth year, Genesis will “Pack the Bus” and collect school supplies for students across the region.
In the first three years,of a total 27,311 school items valued at nearly $47,000 have been collected from the public and Genesis employees.
Donations will be collected at school buses parked at these locations August 1-4:
- GMC-East Campus, Monday, August 1, at the parking lot close to Rusholme Street, between the Heart Institute and Edgerton building.
- GMC-West Campus, Tuesday, August 2, at the north side/Central Park Avenue parking lot, near the atrium.
- GMC-Silvis Campus, Wednesday, August 3, in the corner of the main parking lot
- North Scott Foods, Eldridge, Thursday, August 4
Supplies will be collected each day between 7:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. Social distancing and infection prevention will be practiced at each collection site.
Additional support for the school supply drive is coming from Durham School Services, North Scott Schools, Two Men and a Truck, Staples and North Scott Foods.
“Our community has been so generous for our first three years of Pack the Bus,” said Shirley Gusta, director of the Business Intelligence Center, who is coordinating the Genesis volunteer effort. “We had a great response to our first event in 2019, but we saw even stronger support in 2020 and 2021 during the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. This year, the need is great because many families continue to face financial challenges during this time of inflation.”
School supplies needed are:
- Highlighters
- Facial Tissues
- Dry Erase Markers
- #2 Pencils & Pencil Boxes
- Crayons
- Bleach Wipes
- Glue Sticks
- Washable Markers
- Hand Sanitizer
- Spiral Notebooks – Wide Lined
- Liquid Glue – Elmer’s
- Scissors
- Colored Pencils
- Art Brushes
- Binders (3-Ring)
- 2-Pocket Folders (Plastic or Paper)
- Individual Pencil Sharpeners
- Ink Pens
- Scotch Tape
- Tabbed Dividers for 3 Ring Binders
- Zip Lock Bags
- Note Cards
- Mechanical Pencils
- AAA Batteries
- Headphones (not earbuds)
- Backpacks (girl/boy/generic)
Supplies are needed for all grade levels.
Don’t feel like shopping for school supplies? Once again this year, there is the option to donate money via the Genesis Foundation toward the purchase of those school supplies needed most. Monetary donations can be made by texting PACKTHEBUS to 41444.
In 2019, Pack the Bus collected 7,820 school items with an estimated value of $10,241. In 2020, the collections nearly doubled to 10,355 items with an estimated value of $19,200. In 2021, the drive collected 9,136 items with a total estimated value of contributions of $17,135 to distribute to school districts across the region.
