United Way of Pioneer Valley Invites Community to Stuff the Bus
SPRINGFIELD — United Way of Pioneer Valley announced the launch of the 2026 Stuff the Bus school supply drive. Beginning July 20, the United Way is calling on the community to help provide essential school supplies to children across the region lacking a stable or permanent home.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to start the school year prepared and excited to learn — but for homeless children, that can be a significant challenge,” said Megan Moynihan, president and CEO of United Way of Pioneer Valley. “We couldn’t do this without the generous support of Peter Pan Bus Lines, who once again are providing a bus and driver to deliver backpacks to every district in need. We’re also grateful to our media partner, Western Mass News, for their coverage and for opening their studio as a collection site for hundreds of school supplies.”
This event is made possible thanks to the support of sponsors and community partners including AAA Northeast, Eversource, MGM Springfield, Peter Pan Bus Lines, and Western Mass News.
The United Way is collecting the following items: elementary-age backpacks (boys and girls), middle- and high-school-age backpacks (gender-neutral), big erasers, boxes of colored pencils, composition books, crayons, folders, glue sticks, highlighters, index cards, markers, pencil cases, pencil sharpeners, pencils, pens, rulers, scissors, spiral notebooks, and sticky notes.
Supplies can be dropped off July 20-31 at any of the following locations: AAA Northeast, 150 Capital Dr., West Springfield; AAA Northeast, 1891 Wilbraham Road, Springfield; United Way of Pioneer Valley, 1441 Main St., Suite 137, Springfield; and Western Mass News, 1300 Liberty St., Springfield. To learn more, visit www.uwpv.org/stuff-the-bus.
