Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse Kandie Kline and Grace Stacchiotti check their list as they place the age appropriate school supplies into backpacks that will be given out prior to the start of the school year as part of the annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive.

BOARDMAN — For the 15th year, Huntington Bank has teamed up with United Way to support local students in need with a Stuff the Bus school supply giveaway.

This year, the effort was doubled with the stuffing of 2,000 backpacks filled with school supplies going to children across Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Mercer counties for the 2025-26 school year. The backpack stuffing was accomplished by a team of 40 volunteers from Huntington Bank and Great Clips who filled the bags at the United Way of Youngstown and Mahoning Valley Volunteer Resource Center in Boardman.

According to Sam Huston, Mahoning Valley Market President of Huntington Bank, the bank donates money for the backpacks and Great Clips and Cocca’s Pizza helps collect the supplies to go into them.

“Students need to be ready the minute they walk into their classroom, and sometimes that’s not the case. That’s why we partner with United Way, who has strong relationships with local school districts and can ensure these supplies reach those who need them most,” Huston said. “We decided to increase our donation this year to reach even more students. This partnership has been incredible for the past 15 years, and it’s the least we can do to support children in our communities.”

The backpacks will be distributed directly to local schools identified by United Way to ensure they reach students most in need. According to United Way Director of Community Impact Kielly Rapp, there are several schools that will be the focus of the K-8 grade supply list. She said Youngstown Community School, West Branch, Hubbard and Girard are among the targeted schools needing help for their students.

“Each county (Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, and Mercer) will receive 500 backpacks each,” Rapp said. “Our ultimate goal is to eliminate barriers for the kids on their first day of school.”

Huston said the bank includes the donation in its annual budget.

“It is a way for us to give back,” he said. “We also have 32 volunteers this year to help stuff the backpacks.”

Tina Ballmer from Huntington Bank said she enjoys the project.

“We do anything we can to help the community and the kids,” she said. “We want to do our part for the United Way.”

The United Way hosts the stuffing project at their Boardman warehouse, where they also help with meals, shoes and other needs for students in the four counties.