Washington County School District Needs Snacks and Clothing For Kids

The Washington County School District is currently in the midst of a special donation campaign for school supplies called “Fill the Bus” in conjunction with Findlay Subaru St. George.

While traditional supplies such as backpacks, colored pencils, and markers are welcome, there is something needed more than something to help with reading and writing.

Food. Snacks to be more specific.

When I spoke to Steven Dunham, the Director of Communication and Foundations for the Washington County School District, he emphasized the importance of these snack donations through what is called the counselor closet.

Dunham said: “Our counselor closet provides needs not only to children in need in Washington County, but also for children that might be in crisis. Crisis comes in different ways; you might have a child that is stressing out over a test, a quiz, an assignment, whatever it is. They can come down to the office, and from our counselor closet, we provide the schools with snacks.”

These snacks Dunham mentioned are used to help calm the kids down when they’re anxious or, as Dunham said, a state of crisis.

“I know I always feel better when I’m eating and most kids, when you give them a snack, it helps calm them down and helps even them out,” said Dunham. “We can then get them kind of back on a level of ground where they can get back to class and do what they need to do.”

Another example of untraditional school supplies that the Washington County School District are always on the look out for is clothing, including underwear when “accidents” happen.

Dunham Said: “Oftentimes, we have children that will come into the office that may have had an accident and might need a change of clothes or a change of underwear, and we can provide that as well. So, it’s not just children in need, it’s any child that’s in the school district that might have an issue that pops up.”

Dunham said they’re plenty of children needing assistance in Washington County, with about 750 homeless children counted at the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

The “Fill the Bus” campaign is only just a special occasion to help garner support. Meaning, the Washington County School District is always accepting donations for the kids. The campaign is just a way to get the extra boost needed before the start of the new academic year in August.

If you would like to donate supplies of any kind to the Washington County School District, you can donate by going to Findlay Subaru St. George, or you can always donate at anytime of the year by going to the donations page of the Washington County School District website and then click on the counselor closet donate button.

You can also call the Washington County School District at 435-673-3553 for more information.