School is out for the summer, but local nonprofits like Dawson County Family Connection are already hard at work preparing for the 2022-23 school year. Every year, Dawson County Family Connection’s “Stuff the Bus” school supply drive provides backpacks and school supplies to hundreds of local students, and collections for this year’s drive are already underway. 

According to information provided by Family Connection, each year 350 or more backpacks are distributed to qualified Dawson County students to ensure that they are well prepared for success as they go back to school. 

“When you help stuff the bus you help a child walk into school their first day prepared, confident and ready to excel,” the event flyer said. 

Every year, there are several easy ways for community members to help contribute to Stuff the Bus. This includes ordering items directly online, dropping them off at the Family Connection office or any of several bins throughout the community and contributing momentarily to the drive. 

To order items online, community members can go to the Stuff the Bus 2022 wishlist on Amazon Smile and order from there. Items purchased off of the wishlist will be delivered directly to Family Connection. To view or purchase items off of the wishlist, go to https://a.co/dQAYddC. 

School supplies purchased in local stores can be dropped off at the Family Connection office, located at The Chappell Building at 96 Academy Avenue, next to the Voter Registration Office. There are also several collection bins located in the community. The current collection bins are set up at Associated Credit Union, the Dawson County Health Department and Launch Trampoline Park. 

Monetary donations are another way to contribute to the Stuff the Bus Drive. These donations can be mailed to Dawson County Family Connection at P.O. Box 872, Dawsonville, 30534. 

Dawson County children in need of a backpack to return to school this fall can apply for one online by filling out the form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFRFyYYnLChiLRbfob4YLWhZ0ep9cCGudHmik6YD4ModWKVw/viewform. Pickup days for the backpacks will be the evening of July 26 and the morning of July 27, and July 28 by appointment only. The cost of each backpack is $1, due at pickup. 

For more information or questions about the Stuff the Bus drive, go to https://dawson.gafcp.org/ or call Dawson County Family Connection at 706-265-1981.