School-supply drive collected nearly 6,000 filled backpacks and more than 230,000 supplies for students in San Diego experiencing homelessness

San Diego County CA— SDCCU^® Stuff the Bus, held in partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and iHeartMedia radio stations, yielded nearly 6,000 filled backpacks and over 230,000 school supplies to better prepare students for success as they head back to school this year. The SDCCU school bus was on tour with Channel 93.3, Star 94.1, JAM’N 95.7 and KOGO AM 600 this summer making numerous stops to collect supplies. The community was also encouraged to drop off supplies at several participating locations, as well as any of SDCCU’s convenient San Diego County branch locations!
“We collected a record number of supplies this year, which will help thousands of students experiencing homelessness in San Diego start the school year ready to learn and succeed,” said SDCCU President and CEO Teresa Halleck Campbell. “We are so grateful to the community for coming together to support this initiative, thank you to all the donors for their incredible generosity.”
The amount of supplies donated through SDCCU Stuff the Bus were valued at nearly $303,000.
“It is powerful to see the generosity of our community when it comes to supporting students who need it the most,” said Dr. Paul Gothold, San Diego County Superintendent of Schools. “As a father myself and a longtime educator, I know what a difference it makes to be able to start a new school year with a backpack full of supplies. Being ready to learn lays the foundation for a bright future for every child.”
SDCCU Stuff the Bus benefits students in San Diego County experiencing homelessness, with supplies going to 40 school districts and 21 charter schools. According to the SDCOE, more than 22,000 school-age children were identified as homeless during the last school year. Homelessness can mean living in a shelter, sharing a residence with whole families, living in a car or trailer in San Diego County or sharing a room in an apartment with relatives. Homelessness is not limited to urban, downtown San Diego—it affects suburban school districts all over the county.
“We are so pleased with the outpouring of support from the community this year. Once again the quality and quantity of supplies collected from the Stuff the Bus campaign exceeded our expectations,” said Dr. Michelle Lustig, SDCOE’s director of Foster Youth Coordinating Services and Homeless Education Services. “The collective efforts of our incredible partners, especially San Diego County Credit Union, have helped us continue to increase the support we provide to students experiencing homelessness countywide. Our school districts and charter schools will have filled backpacks ready for their students on the first day of school, which enables these vulnerable students to start the school year prepared.”
SDCCU Stuff the Bus was launched in support of the Live Well San Diego initiative. SDCCU, San Diego’s largest locally-owned financial institution, the SDCOE and iHeartMedia are proud Live Well San Diego partners. The County Board of Supervisors launched Live Well San Diego in 2010 with the goal of achieving healthy, safe and thriving communities across the region by partnering with community and city leaders, schools, businesses, non-profit organizations and residents.
SDCCU is one of California’s largest credit unions, proudly serving the financial needs of customers in San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties. SDCCU has assets of $8.4 billion, over 390,000 customers, 43 convenient branch locations and 30,000 surcharge-FREE ATMs. SDCCU provides breakthrough banking products that meet the demands of today’s lifestyle and delivers banking services that save customers money. SDCCU is leading the way, offering FREE Checking with eStatements, SDCCU mobile banking, mortgage loans, auto loans, Visa^® credit cards and business banking services. Federally insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Opportunity. For more information, visit www.sdccu.com.