West Shore Home Makes Contribution To The United Way Stuff The Bus Campaign

For many children, they wish their summer spent playing outside with friends was never-ending. But now it is back to the classroom to begin a new school year, and for many parents, that means it is time for big spending.

According to the National Retail Federation, parents were expecting to spend $875 on back-to-school shopping in 2024, $141 of that on school supplies alone.

West Shore Home wanted to help alleviate that cost for families that struggle to afford all the supplies that their school requires. Our employees stepped in nationwide to donate 28,434 school supplies in support of the United Way’s Stuff the Bus campaign.

“We had a goal of donating 25,000 school supplies. In true West Shore Home fashion, our teammates went above and beyond, collecting a record number of supplies,” said B.J. Werzyn, President and CEO of West Shore Home. “In our three years donating to Stuff the Bus, our teammates have raised nearly 60,000 supplies to help children and families in need.”

Our team collected the most needed items on every back-to-school shopping list like pencils, pens, notebooks, folders, arts and crafts items, and more. Our Chattanooga branch even ordered brand-new backpacks to celebrate a group of students who completed summer literacy tutoring classes with the United Way of Greater Chattanooga.

We believe that all students deserve to walk into their first day of school prepared, confident to take on the new school year, and excited to learn.

And our work is far from finished. We want to make sure children have the opportunity to exceed in all areas of life. So far in 2024, West Shore Home has supported more than 30 nonprofit organizations that focus on child wellness, education, and youth sports.

One of our core values is “Be an Exceptional Teammate,” and that extends to the communities we serve. We wish every student a great school year, and we look forward to donating even more classroom supplies next year.