Dear community member,
I hope you and your family are enjoying a wonderful summer and staying cool during this historic heat wave.
This month, the Santa Cruz COE is thrilled to be celebrating 15 years of partnership with United Way of Santa Cruz County to provide backpacks and school supplies to students experiencing homelessness and other hardships through the Stuff the Bus campaign.
Throughout the month of July we are working with United Way to provide at least 2,500 new backpacks filled with school supplies.
We know the need is great. That’s especially true here in Santa Cruz County, which was once again named the least affordable rental market in the nation this year by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. According to the 2022-2023 Annual Count of Homeless Students in Schools, 2,709 students in Santa Cruz County are experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity — about one out of every 15 students in grades TK-12.
Stuff the Bus is about more than supplies. It’s about empowering students to start the school year with confidence and everything they need to succeed.
If you are able, I invite you to join our campaign this month in one of the following ways:
Donating: Every $25 donation provides a new backpack filled with supplies.
Dropping off supplies: Drop off new backpacks and school supplies at collection points throughout the county.
Volunteering: Join our Stuff-A-Thon event on August 3 at Kaiser Permanente Arena, where we will fill backpacks with supplies.
As we reflect on the past 15 years of Stuff the Bus, I want to express my deep gratitude to United Way of Santa Cruz County for this impactful partnership. I also want to acknowledge the outstanding network of partners including UPS, the Santa Cruz Warriors, and the Emerging Leaders Circle, who work with us each year to make this campaign possible.
Thank you for joining us to make a difference for youth in our community.
Yours in education and equity,
Dr. Faris Sabbah
County Superintendent of Schools