Now in its fourth year, the “Pack the Bus” program from Genesis Health System plans to collect school supplies for local students. In the first three years, the program collected 27,311 school items valued at nearly $47,000 from the public and Genesis employees. It began in 2019 as a way to give back to the Quad Cities region in celebration of Genesis Health System’s 150th anniversary.

Donations of school supplies can be dropped off at school buses parked at these locations between August 1-4:

  • GMC-East Campus on Monday, August 1 in the parking lot close to Rusholme Street, between the Heart Institute and Edgerton building.
  • GMC-West Campus on Tuesday, August 2, in the north side/Central Park Avenue parking lot, near the atrium.
  • GMC-Silvis Campus on Wednesday, August 3, in the corner of the main parking lot.
  • North Scott Foods in Eldridge on Thursday, August 4.

Supplies will be collected at each location between 7:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. Social distancing and infection prevention will be practiced at each collection site.

Businesses accepting donations through July 29 include:

Ascentra Credit Union locations – Bettendorf: 2019 Grant St / 2339 53rd Avenue Davenport: 1515 W. 53rd St/ 1710 W. Third St / 1800 Brady St Moline: 3005 Seventh St

Carpetland: Davenport: 4337 Brady St/Moline: 4201 44th Ave

Chris Elsberg State Farm Insurance Agency Rock Island: 855 46th Ave

DuTrac Community Credit Union Davenport: 2330 E 53rd Street Davenport: 3100 W. Kimberly Road Moline: 3153 Avenue of the Cities

School districts accepting donations through July 30 include:

Bettendorf: District Administration Center: 3311 18th St, Bettendorf 563.359.3681

Davenport: Achievement Service Center: 1702 Main St, Davenport 563.445.5000

Pleasant Valley: Pleasant Valley High School: 604 Belmont Rd, Bettendorf

Moline: Allendale: 1619 11th Ave, Moline

Rock Island Milan: District Administration Center: 2101 Sixth Ave, Rock Island

East Moline: Christ United Methodist Church: 3801 Seventh St., East Moline 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

“Our community has been so generous for our first three years of Pack the Bus,” said Shirley Gusta, director of the Business Intelligence Center and coordinator of the Genesis volunteer effort. “We had a great response to our first event in 2019, but we saw even stronger support in 2020 and 2021 during the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. This year, the need is great because many families continue to face financial challenges during this time of inflation.”

Supplies are needed for all grade levels and include:

  • Highlighters
  • Facial Tissues
  • Dry Erase Markers
  • #2 Pencils & Pencil Boxes
  • Crayons
  • Bleach Wipes
  • Glue Sticks
  • Washable Markers
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Spiral Notebooks – Wide Lined
  • Liquid Glue – Elmer’s
  • Scissors
  • Colored Pencils
  • Art Brushes
  • Binders (3-Ring)
  • 2-Pocket Folders (Plastic or Paper)
  • Individual Pencil Sharpeners
  • Ink Pens
  • Scotch Tape
  • Tabbed Dividers for 3 Ring Binders
  • Zip Lock Bags
  • Note Cards
  • Mechanical Pencils
  • AAA Batteries
  • Headphones (not earbuds)
  • Backpacks (girl/boy/generic)

If you don’t want to shop for school supplies, you can donate money through the Genesis Foundation toward the purchase of the school supplies needed most. Text PACKTHEBUS to 41444 to make monetary donations.

In 2019, Pack the Bus collected 7,820 school items with an estimated value of $10,241. In 2020, they collected 10,355 items with an estimated value of $19,200. In 2021, the drive collected 9,136 items with a total estimated value of contributions of $17,135. All items collected are distributed to school districts across the area.