Can a community fill a bus with school supplies in just 30 days?

School may be out for summer vacation, but some people are thinking ahead toward fall already.

Melissa Hershley, who is the owner of Miss M’s Little Day Care, has organized a Fill-the-Bus fundraiser out in front of her business.

The goal? Why, to fill a school bus full of school supplies for the Early Childhood Development Center, the Boys & Girls Club and Glenrock schools – in just 30 days.

Miss M’s Little Day Care is sponsoring a school supply drive throughout the month of June. The event started June 1 and will go through the month, she said. There’s just two weeks left, as of Wednesday.

“Individuals who choose to donate may drop donations off Monday-Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Miss M’s. On July 1 the supplies will be delivered to their destinations. We’re hoping to fill the bus with enough supplies to help out all of our families and offset the expenses for the teachers throughout the year,” Hershley said.

Supply lists laying out exactly what each organization needs can be found on the Fill-the-Bus Facebook page.

“It’s not just school supplies, either. Headstart is asking for items they need, like arts and crafts supplies, Pull-Ups, liquid starch, and more,” she explained.

Hershley is encouraging folks to buy their donations locally to keep the money circulating in Glenrock. In fact, Hardware Hank, Grandma’s Toy Store and Lynn’s Superfoods will have the lists of needs on hand and are willing to help anyone who wants to shop for the fundraiser.

“I am super-duper excited. It if works out, we’d like to make this an annual event. I spoke with our school superintendent, Coley Shadrick. He agrees that if all goes well, we’d like to make it a yearly thing.

“I have kids in the district, friends who’re teachers. Every year my kids are in need of more supplies . . . the kids say, ‘My teacher said she’s got more.’ Where does that money come from? We see all of these budget cuts the State of Wyoming is doing and how that affects a small community like ours,” she stated.

Glenrock also has multiple low-income families, she said, and buying school supplies for multiple children each year becomes extraordinarily costly.

“It’s a financial burden on them. School supplies are extremely expensive, especially with two or three, or more, kids. I’ve seen kids going to school with hand-me-down backpacks with someone else’s name on them. As much as I hate to say it, kids can be cruel. Those kids deserve to have new backpacks, too. Maybe mom and dad are having a hard time, maybe dad got laid off due to COVID. We are still seeing the repercussions of coronavirus. I want to help the families out, take the burden off the school district, and help the teachers. I want to do great things for the community. There are so many good people in this town who are willing to do everything they can, give what they can, and make it the best that it can be,” she enthused.

Anyone wishing to donate to the Fill-the-Bus fundraiser can do so at any time by stopping by Miss M’s Little Day Care at 435 Birch St. or by calling/texting Hershley at 307-277-7151.

“Stop by and see us. The bus is parked there, but if people can come to the front of the day care, we can take them out to load the supplies on the bus or they can drop the donations with us and we will do it. This is something we can all do. We’ve received a sizeable cash donation already, from the Jennings’ family businesses – they were the first to donate – and will divide that between the three entities in town who we’re doing this for,” she said.