There is a big incentive to donate to San Diego County Credit Union’s Stuff the Bus, a program that gives school supplies to homeless students in San Diego County. The Danna Foundation said they would match donations given to Stuff the Bus beginning Thursday and ending midnight Friday, up to $20,000.
For the past five years, SDCCU and the San Diego County Office of Education have worked to collect donations of school supplies for the 22,000 students identified as homeless in the county.
This year, due to the pandemic, Stuff the Bus is asking people to donate money online so school supplies can be purchased and put in backpacks.
The Danna Foundation's Executive Director Jack Ryser said the founders, Dan and Anna Stanger, have been involved for years helping homeless people across the country. Their involvement includes an event where people gather to stuff backpacks with hygienic products for the homeless.
“The pandemic has caused us really not to be able to do that (donate backpacks full with supplies),” Ryser said. “So, when I heard about Stuff the Bus, I was thrilled, because they have a little bit of different infrastructure and it still is benefitting those we care so deeply about.”
If we can't do it with our hands, let's dig into our wallets, and do it that way.
Jack Ryser, Executive Director of The Danna Foundation
What your donation can do:
- $20 = 1 Filled Elementary Backpack
- $25 = 1 Filled Secondary Backpack
- $100 = Case of Empty Backpacks
- $250 = Case of filled backpacks, elementary
- $300 = Case of filled backpacks, middle/high
“If we can’t stuff them with our hands, let’s dig into our wallets and do it that way,” Ryser said.
NBC 7 is sponsoring the SDCCU Stuff the Bus. As of July 29, generous San Diegans have donated $51,018. The campaign runs through the end of July.
