San Diego County CU Collecting Donations for School Supplies for Local Homeless Students

SAN DIEGO, Calif., (July 1, 2021) - Kids face many hardships—school supplies should not be one of them. That’s why SDCCU Stuff the Bus is once again collecting monetary donations to purchase back-to-school supplies for students experiencing homelessness—to help set these students up for success in the coming school year. The annual Stuff the Bus campaign, now in its 7th year, was launched in partnership with San Diego County Credit Union® (SDCCU®), the San Diego County Office of Education and iHeartMedia radio stations in support of Live Well San Diego. A portion of donations will also assist San Diego Youth Services’ various food programs to provide meals for homeless youth. This year, in addition to the online collection, the community can also make in-store monetary donations at any Ralphs or Food 4 Less grocery store location in San Diego County. Having a backpack and all of the needed back-to-school supplies is essential for success in the school year. A small donation can make a big difference in the life of a student in need. 

“The students and families experiencing homelessness need resources and assistance with school, hygiene and other supplies when heading back to school,” said Susie Terry, coordinator, Homeless Liaison Foster Youth & Homeless Education Services at San Diego County Office of Education. “This drive will allow us to assist in relieving some of the burden for these families. Each year, we have seen and heard from our local schools explaining how much it means to the families to receive these supplies. We are so grateful for our continued partnership with SDCCU that helps us impact more and more students each year!”

More than 20,000 school-age 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 multiple 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 also affects suburban school districts all over the county.

“We ask the entire San Diego community to please support this effort and donate to help set these children up for success in the new school year. We are proud to once again partner with the San Diego County Office of Education and iHeartMedia, as well as adding Ralphs and Food 4 Less this year to help make a big difference in the lives of homeless students throughout the county,” said Teresa Campbell, SDCCU president and CEO.

Monetary donations will be accepted in-store at all Ralphs and Food 4 Less grocery store locations in San Diego County through July 31, as well as online at sdccu.com/donate.

SDCCU, the San Diego County Office of Education 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.

SDCCU is one of the nation’s top credit unions, proudly serving the financial needs of customers in Southern California counties including Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. SDCCU has assets of $10.3 billion, more than 421,000 customers, over 40 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 banking, mortgage loans, auto loans, Visa® credit cards and business banking services. Federally insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Opportunity. For more information, visit www.sdccu.com.