Drive nets school supplies

What has 444 packs of index cards, 29 ink cartridges and 314 bottles of glue?

Berkeley County School District's Stuff the Bus campaign.

The first-time event, held Aug. 8-13, garnered 13,306 donated school-supply items and a $433.82 cash donation, district spokeswoman Kathie Sizemore said. The value of the donations is more than $18,000.

The goal of the campaign was to collect supplies for families in need and to replenish supplies at the school level, such as batteries, paper and toner cartridges.

District Superintendent Rodney Thompson said classroom supplies were low because the district has suffered $20 million in budget cuts over the past three years, while growing by about 1,000 students. The district set its spending priorities on safety, appropriate class sizes and keeping quality teachers in the classroom, which left little for supplies, he said.

Individuals, businesses and civic organizations participated in the event, which ended with a celebration at the Moncks Corner and the Goose Creek Walmarts featuring games, food, music and more.

The supplies were taken to the district warehouse, where they were separated, logged and then distributed to schools.