Assemblyman Morrell Stuffs the Bus

Assemblyman Mike Morrell’s (R-Rancho Cucamonga) office stuffed a bus full of new school supplies for San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) students last Friday, Aug. 16. Last week, community members, volunteers and donors joined Assemblyman Morrell and his staff at the Big Lots on Highland Ave., where the group collected some $15,000 worth of school supplies that included new backpacks, pens, pencils, reams of paper, 3-ring binders, rulers, glue and other necessary supplies later donated to the SBCUSD, who is in charge of distributing the supplies to the kindergarten through 12th grade students attending the district’s 70+ schools. The Stuff the Bus project was an effort to bring to needy students in the area the supplies they needed to begin the new school year without hindrance. “Assemblyman Morrell’s office is trying to be proactive in the area in identifying what the needs are,” said Nick Calero, District Director, Assemblyman Morrell’s Office. “The district expressed some needs for school supplies and we got involved.” “I want to thank Assemblyman Morrell and everyone who helped to stuff the bus and spread the word about our efforts,” said Dr. Dale Marsden, Superintendent, SBCUSD. “Without them, many students would have gone without the supplies they need to succeed as the school year begins.” Assemblyman Morrell said that it was a combination of reasons that he and his staff extended their assistance to the district, between having worked closely with the district before and recognizing their needs. “We had been working with them and we wanted also to provide reinforcement to the city,” said Assemblyman Morrell. With the city’s bankruptcy, “There are a lot of challenges there and we thought this would be a good way to throw a helping hand out there.” During the period of Aug. 5 through Aug. 16, community members were invited to donate brand-new school supplies for the cause at the Big Lots locations on Highland Ave. and W. Orange Show Road in San Bernardino. “Big Lots employees even promoted the donations and let people know about them as they entered the [Big Lots] shop, and then people would go in and buy things and donate them as they left,” said Calero. Others purchased items from other stores like Target or Walmart and donated them as well, he noted. Assemblyman Morrell and his staff were also assisted in this project with the help of local businesses, including AT&T Pioneer, who donated about $2,500 in addition to school supplies. The Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino donated approximately half of the backpacks collected. Durham School Services loaned a school bus and also donated supplies, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians donated $250 in supplies, and Kaiser Permanente also donated $3,000 in supplies from an employee-driven collection, both Morrell and Calero noted. “That bus was decently stuffed with supplies,” Calero said. What really made the project extraordinary, for Morrell, was the community participation, he said. “I like when ordinary citizens and businesses get involved and become part of the solution,” said Morrell. Students in the SBCUSD began their 2013–2014 school year on Aug. 5.