Sending students back to school
Published 8:43 pm Monday, August 4, 2014

JONATHAN ROWE | DAILY NEWS
BACK TO SCHOOL: Beaufort County Schools and the Beaufort County United Way held the annual Stuff the Bus campaign to gather school supplies for those wishing to help county students be properly equipped in returning to school.
Despite rain on Saturday, Beaufort County Schools’ Stuff the Bus campaign, through partnering with the Beaufort County United Way, was in full effect.
A school bus was parked in front of Walmart, who also partnered for the event, and a stream of shoppers could be seen boarding the bus and leaving their contributions toward school supplies for students across the county to utilize.
The event is held every year in the effort to stock the schools around the county with a surplus of much needed school supplies. However, one thing was different about this year’s campaign to equip students with school tools this year — the absence of tax-free weekend.
For the first time in more than a decade, the state of North Carolina repealed its tax-free weekend events for 2014. State lawmakers passed a tax reform package last year that lowered personal income taxes and corporate income taxes, which means bigger paychecks. In return, the state got rid of different credits including the sales tax holiday.
County residents, however, still came out to show their support for the school system. Seat by seat, front to back, the bus was filled with boxes of markers, crayons, pencils and erasers for elementary-age students and pens, binders and tab dividers for high school students.
Although the event was put together and headed by the school district and BCUW, it would not have been possible without its volunteers and contributors. People still found a way, despite the rain and no tax-free weekend, to come out and support the county’s children, who are making their way back to school this fall.
The collected items will be distributed to the schools across the county and those students in need will be able to approach their guidance counselors, while supplies last, and receive whatever they may lack.
Stuff the Bus is not over, however. There will be a second campaign at Bojangles this Saturday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and another opportunity for those who wish to help in equipping county students in returning to yet another school year.