SDCCU Stuff the Bus, held in partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and iHeartMedia radio stations, yielded 4,808 backpacks and 246,543 school supplies for students as they headed back to school this year. The SDCCU School Bus was on tour with Channel 933, Star 941, JAM’N 957 and KOGO AM 600 this summer making various stops to collect supplies. The community was also encouraged to drop off supplies at several participating locations, as well as any of SDCCU’s convenient San Diego branch locations!

“We are beyond grateful for the incredible support of our partners, especially San Diego County Credit Union,” said Dr. Michelle Lustig, SDCOE’s manager of foster youth and homeless education services. “The response to this effort was truly extraordinary this year, leading to unprecedented results. Thousands of students who are experiencing homelessness went back to school ready to learn thanks to the amazing generosity of partners and countless anonymous donors.”
 
“SDCCU Stuff the Bus received an incredible amount of support from the community this year, collecting a record number of supplies for students in the region experiencing homelessness. It was so wonderful to see the community come together to support this effort,” said Teresa Halleck, SDCCU president and CEO. “We thank everyone who donated to help provide these students with basic supplies to help better prepare them to succeed in the classroom.”
 
SDCCU Stuff the Bus benefited students in San Diego experiencing homelessness. According to the SDCOE, more than 23,000 school-aged children were identified as homeless during the last school year. Homelessness for school-age children can mean living in a shelter, sharing a residence with whole families, living in a car or trailer in San Diego County or sharing a room in an apartment with relatives. Homelessness is not limited to urban, downtown San Diego—it affects suburban school districts all over the county.
 
“The quality and quantity of supplies far exceeded our expectations,” said Susie Terry, project specialist with SDCOE’s homeless education services. “We were able to assist more students who are experiencing homelessness than ever before.”
 
In addition to the supply collection, the in-branch fundraiser and online collection of donations resulted in a total of $23,622 to be used to purchase supplies for students.
 
SDCCU Stuff the Bus was launched in support of the Live Well San Diego initiative. SDCCU, San Diego’s largest locally-owned financial institution, the SDCOE and iHeartMedia are proud Live Well San Diego partners. The County Board of Supervisors launched Live Well San Diego in 2010 with the goal of achieving healthy, safe and thriving communities across the region by partnering with community and city leaders, schools, businesses, non-profit organizations and residents.
 
San Diego County Credit Union is San Diego’s largest locally-owned financial institution serving San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties. SDCCU has assets of $7.6 billion, over 325,000 customers, 39 convenient branch locations and 30,000 surcharge-FREE ATMs. SDCCU provides breakthrough banking products that meet the demands of today’s lifestyle and delivers banking services that save customers money. SDCCU is leading the way, offering FREE Checking with eStatements, SDCCU Mobile Deposit, mortgage loans, auto loans, Visa^® credit cards and business banking services. Federally insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Opportunity. Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information, visit www.sdccu.com.