The numbers are in on the Education Association of Pekin's "Stuff a Bus" school supplies campaign for Pekin Public Schools District 108 students, the first community project undertaken by the 65-year-old union.
EAP President Chris Vehlow thanked the community for what she called a "tremendous outpouring of support" for the campaign, which didn't actually involve stuffing a bus.
"I was amazed at the amount of school supplies we collected," she said.
Here are those numbers and three miscellaneous facts about the six-day campaign, which was held at the Pekin Walmart and ended last weekend:
CASH
• Walmart customer cash donations: $2,683.59
• Community donation checks: $2,640.00
• Total: $5,323.59
SUPPLIES COLLECTED
• 5 SUV loads from the community.
• 6 SUV loads purchased with money donated.
TOP FIVE SUPPLIES COLLECTED
• 5,948 pencils
• 654 glue sticks
• 565 folders
• 526 notebooks
• 522 packs of crayons
MISCELLANEOUS
• EAP members and their families worked 191 hours at Walmart.
• Grace United Methodist Church in Pekin, the Pekin Moose Lodge and the Pekin city bus department conducted their own drives to donate to the campaign.
• Sno-Bros Shaved Ice raised money for the campaign at Walmart without being asked.
Vehlow said she was particularly touched by a community member who dropped off school supplies at Walmart and said, 'I know what it's like to not have school supplies. I used to be the kid who needed these supplies.'"
There are about 3,100 K-8 students in 11 schools in District 108. About 66% of those students live below the poverty level, according to EAP officials.
The average cost of school supplies this year in District 108 is $56 for elementary school students and $76 for intermediate school and junior high school students.
The 325-member EAP represents teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, attendance clerks and social workers in District 108.
