HERSHEY, Pa. — Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine employees stuffed not one, but two buses with school and health supplies, and St. Joseph Medical Center employees stuffed 51 backpacks for this year’s Stuff the Bus campaign.

Hershey campus staff donated a total of 3,601 items, while Holy Spirit Medical Center staff gave 592 items from Aug. 10 to Sept. 10. Their donations culminated in United Way of the Capital Region’s annual Day of Caring Sept. 10 when employees dropped off supplies at a school bus on the Hershey campus.

“We greatly appreciate our employees’ generosity and enthusiasm in making sure local students have the school supplies they need,” said Jim George, Penn State Health director of community relations. “It’s just another example of how Penn State Health and the College of Medicine always step up to support our communities.”

Volunteers from Penn State Health and the College of Medicine assembled educational kits with the supplies on Sept. 16. The kits will go to schools that are part of United Way of the Capital Region’s Ready for School, Ready to Succeed program.

St. Joseph Medical Center employees contributed supplies from Aug. 9-20. A school bus was also the collection point on both the Berks and Downtown campuses during the last two days of the campaign. Development staff delivered the stuffed backpacks to United Way of Berks County to benefit Berks-area schools and Safe Berks, a nonprofit that supports victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

United Way of the Capital Region saw a 125% increase in the number of Stuff the Bus donations this year over last year. Harrisburg-area residents gave a total of 19,107 items, compared to 8,510 items in 2020. Donors also gave nearly $1,000 in cash and Amazon gift cards in 2021. Highmark Blue Shield was the event sponsor.