ORANGE PARK — It may not have been the "Magic School Bus" parked in the Staples parking lot on July 31, but it certainly felt magical to local teachers and students.

That's because the Clay Education Foundation held their annual Stuff the Bus, where $26,635 worth of school supplies were donated and loaded onto the bus. 

The unique event has become a staple at the Orange Park location, which allows the Clay Education Foundation use of its parking lot each year. 

Donations were accepted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and volunteers facilitated a drive-thru donation experience. Interested community members were able to simply bring school supplies to the bus, pop their trunk and drive away knowing they had done something to drive student success.

Tiffany Miller, Engagement and Events Coordinator for the Clay Education Foundation, said the day had been months in the making, with generous community partnerships and collection bins all over the local area.

The donations from Stuff the Bus go directly to the hands of teachers through the Clay Education Foundation’s Tools 4 Clay Schools shopping days. There are two "stores," the main one at the Garber Automall Pre-Owned Building and the satellite location at Keystone Heights Elementary.

New and veteran teachers are able to "shop" at these locations for free school supplies at four different points in the year.

On average, each teacher spends at least $600 out of their own pocket on their classroom. The goal of the Clay Education Foundation is to take that financial burden off teachers so they can focus on teaching, and students can focus on learning.

Corderius Harrison, branch manager of the Community First Credit Union in Oakleaf, said, for Community First, it’s all in the name. Every year, they put the community first by supporting Stuff the Bus. He said they place school supply collection bins in all of their branch locations. Harrison has also volunteered at the teacher shopping days and loves seeing firsthand the positive impact on local teachers.

“We are blessed to be a blessing to others,” Harrison said. “Each year we dedicate ourselves to ensure that we’re giving back to the community. That’s what Community First stands for, standing behind the community. You know, community first, it’s in the name. So that’s basically what we live by and we stick to that.”

Although this summer’s Stuff the Bus has ended, the Clay Education Foundation never puts the brakes on their work. Summer school supply drives like this one are key to preparing teachers for the start of school, but the Clay Education Foundation also replenishes school supplies throughout the year. In addition to Tools 4 Clay Schools, they support the school system with initiatives like the Apple Awards and Teacher of the Year.

Community members and businesses are invited to host a supply drive at any point in the year. There are also sponsorship opportunities and ways to offer a scholarship in either your name or the name of your business. Those who would like to help also have the options of ordering needed items from the Clay Education Foundation Amazon wish list, contributing a monetary donation online or signing up to volunteer.

“This really couldn’t have happened without the community,” Miller said. “We couldn’t fill this bus without them. It’s just been wonderful to see the community come together to help our kids and our teachers.”

Visit clayeducationfoundation.org to learn more about getting involved.