The school bus has arrived early at Meadowbrook Mall – and it’s parked inside.

 

Between Thursday and Aug. 12, the mall will host its annual “Stuff the Bus” back-to-school supply and backpack drive in an effort to equip students of West Virginia Head Start with all the items they need for a successful school year.

 

The Head Start bus is located just outside of JC Penney; its doors open wide to receive school items for the young children, age three to five years old.

 

“We’ve partnered many times with WV Head Start on the event,” said Meadowbrook Mall Marketing Director Robin Urquhart. “Last year’s donations were pretty light. It really varies from year to year.”

Needed items include small backpacks, crayons, glue, markers, tissues, colored construction paper, white drawing paper, flash cards – alphabet, numbers, colors and shapes, boys’ and girls’ socks and underwear, preschool writing tablets (lined writing paper).

 

A list of those items is available at the mall customer service desk, located close to the bus, just outside of Payless and Bath and Body Works.

 

“We ask that donations be dropped off at the customer service desk,” Urquhart said. “Our still will periodically place items in the bus.”

 

Urquhart said though members of the public are generous with donations, the bus has never been completely filled with items. Maybe this will be the year, she said.

 

The West Virginia Head Start Association, Inc. (WVHSA) is a private, not-for-profit membership organization, composed of 31 programs and serving more than 8,000 children and families across West Virginia. Its programs build relationships with participating families, supporting strong communication between parents and their children and strives toward total family well-being and positive connections within communities.

 

The project is a nice outreach for the mall and mall shoppers, Urquhart said.

 

“We are always looking for ways to help the communities that we serve and this is just a great example of a group needing a little assistance,” she said.

 

For more information on this and other Meadowbrook Mall events, stop at the Customer Service Center, visit www.MeadowbrookMall.com or call 304-842-5441.