VIROQUA, Wis. – Bethel Home & Services is joining the McIntosh Memorial Library and the Vernon County Health Department to support the annual Stuff the Bus Campaign. Staff from the Library and Health Department have been working together since January on the annual program which helps secure needed school supplies to support residents in Vernon County.
As a program partner Bethel Home & Services has agreed to store all supplies for Stuff the Bus within their facility. Program Coordinator Maggie Strittmater says having Bethel Home and Services on board creates an opportunity for multi-generational programming, “Bethel Home residents will be joining with youth from the McIntosh Memorial Library Lenders 4H Club and other community residents to help stuff the backpacks we will be distributing in August to registered families.”
Jeanne Barr, Human Resource Director at Bethel Home agrees, “Bethel strives to have positive community involvement. By bringing our elders together with our kids, it can only result in a win, win.”
Anyone wanting to assist in stuffing backpacks is welcome to Aspen Place inside Bethel Home on July 25 from 1:00-3:00. Backpacks will also be stuffed on July 31 from 1:00-3:00 at Maplewood Terrace inside the dining room.
Community members wanting to support the annual program are invited to a fundraising event at Viroqua Wal-Mart on Saturday, July 29 from 10:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m. The Viroqua Lions Club will be grilling and selling brats and the Viroqua Eagles Auxiliary members will be serving and selling root beer floats with all proceeds being donated to Stuff the Bus. At the event a list of items needed for the program will be handed to shoppers to purchase and place inside the school bus on site.

Local families wanting to sign up their children to be recipients of Stuff the Bus materials are encouraged to fill out a confidential form https://form.jotform.com/231006582140140. Registration can also take place by calling 608-637-5260 Monday -Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For many families, finding the financial resources to cover the cost of school supplies for their children can be a true financial burden. To provide all children with the supplies they need to be successful in school, the program staff and volunteers coordinate the fundraising, purchasing of materials, and distribution of backpacks filled with school supplies such as pencils, paper, calculators, and other needed items across the county.
For more information about Stuff the Bus please contact McIntosh Memorial Library Adult Programming and Outreach Assistant Maggie Strittmater at 637-7151 ext. 7. Additional information can be found on the library website at www.mcintoshmemoriallibrary.org.
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