Opportunities From: United Way of Cascade County

The Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, Salvation Army, United Way, Bullhook Community Health Center and Havre Public Schools are teaming up to help local students and families prepare for the upcoming school year!

On August 4 from 10 AM to 7 PM at Walmart, we need our community’s help to fill an entire school bus with new school supplies for K–12 students and families. Havre Public Schools will park a bus outside Walmart, and together, we’ll work to fill it up and help our kids start the school year with the tools they need to succeed! If you can sign up for a shift at the bus and help take and sort donations, please check the available shifts below!

HOW IT WORKS Stop by Walmart anytime between 10 AM and 7 PM, grab a school supply list from our team, and shop for the items you’d like to donate.

Our list includes most-needed essentials, plus a wish list for anyone who wants to go above and beyond. Come on your own, bring your family and friends, or rally your coworkers and make it a team outing. No donation is too small. Every backpack, box of pencils, and pack of supplies helps students start the school year strong. Please donate new, unused school supplies only.  

CAN’T MAKE IT TO STUFF THE BUS? There are still plenty of ways to help!  Make a monetary donation Donate funds and we’ll do the shopping for you! Until online donations are available, contact Danielle Golie at 406-265-6561 or danielle.golie@uwhillcounty.org to coordinate.  

Drop off new school supplies around town Look for our collection boxes, decorated by kids from the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, at participating locations:

• Bullhook Community Health Center

• Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line

• The Salvation Army

• Northern Montana Hospital

• Independence Bank

• Stockman Bank

• North 40 Outfitters

• Creative Coffee

• NorthWestern Energy

• Holiday Village Mall

Donations are accepted through August 4.

WHY ARE WE STUFFING THE BUS?

Because every student deserves to start the school year with the tools they need to learn and thrive! All supplies collected through Stuff the Bus will be distributed to local K–12 students and families during the Back to School Bash on August 12 from 11 AM to 2 PM at the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line.

Need school supply assistance? Register for the Back to School Bash here: https://forms.gle/eK1FNREBLKTvrgBy9 Bring a friend. Bring your family. Bring your team. Let’s fill the bus and help students head back to school ready for a great year!

United Way is gearing up for our annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive on Thursday, Aug. 6. The items gathered are provided to local nonprofit organizations to give out to local families they serve and given to school pantries to be given to students as needed throughout the school year. United Way is looking for volunteers to take hour-long shifts.  Anyone who has volunteered before can attest that this is one of United Way’s most rewarding events all year.

The response from our community is amazing and we are able to do so much with the 14,000 items donated last year. This year, there are three buses: one at Target and one at each of the local Walmarts. We welcome small groups and individuals. Volunteers will help sort items donated at the two buses, hand out school supply lists to shoppers and relay donated items from the store to the bus parked in the lot. Please review the shifts and see what options fit your schedule and pick your bus!

East Walmart Bus Shifts

Target Bus Shifts

United Way is holding our annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive in early August! Each year, we gather thousands of items at local stories and distribute those items to nonprofits and schools. But the work isn't finished when the buses are full!

Volunteers are needed on Friday, Aug. 7 to help unpack the buses and organize boxes of supplies for local nonprofits and schools. Volunteers should be able to handle standing for a couple of hours, being able to lift at least 20 lbs safely and should be able to bend down. Unstuffing will be done at the Great Falls Public School Office Warehouse at 1100 4th St S Great Falls, MT 59405.

United Way is gearing up for our annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive on Thursday, Aug. 6. The items gathered are provided to local nonprofit organizations to give out to local families they serve and given to school pantries to be given to students as needed throughout the school year. United Way is looking for volunteers to take hour-long shifts.  Anyone who has volunteered before can attest that this is one of United Way’s most rewarding events all year. The response from our community is amazing and we are able to do so much with the 14,000 items donated last year.

This year, there are three buses: one at Target and one at each of the local Walmarts. We welcome small groups and individuals. Volunteers will help sort items donated at the two buses, hand out school supply lists to shoppers and relay donated items from the store to the bus parked in the lot. Please review the shifts and see what options fit your schedule and pick your bus!

Target Bus Shifts

Smelter Walmart Bus Shifts

United Way is gearing up for our annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive on Thursday, Aug. 6. The items gathered are provided to local nonprofit organizations to give out to local families they serve and given to school pantries to be given to students as needed throughout the school year. United Way is looking for volunteers to take hour-long shifts.  Anyone who has volunteered before can attest that this is one of United Way’s most rewarding events all year. The response from our community is amazing and we are able to do so much with the 14,000 items donated last year.

This year, there are three buses: one at Target and one at each of the local Walmarts. We welcome small groups and individuals to help out at the bus. Volunteers will help sort items donated at the two buses, hand out school supply lists to shoppers and relay donated items from the store to the bus parked in the lot.

East Walmart Bus Shifts

Smelter Walmart Bus Shifts

Volunteers will work together at the Mercantile Building in the Montana ExpoPark (400 3rd Street NW) to prepare the backpacks that will be given out at the Back 2 School Blast. They will fill backpacks with school supplies based upon grade entering in the new school year. Shifts will be three or two hours long and volunteers will be given guidance on the contents of the backpacks by year.

If you’re willing to be flexible and help wherever needed, then Back 2 School Blast would be thrilled to have you sign up as a floater volunteer. These volunteers will fill in gaps, give a hand where needed, and help out with odd tasks throughout the day. Shifts are more flexible for these volunteers so if you’d like to help out a bit, this is the option to choose! You will be assigned a place to serve the day of the event when you check in at Volunteer Central.

Join Back 2 School Black as an Event Greeter! Volunteers are the first faces to greet attendees. They will help welcome families, answer basic questions, bring cheer and patience to those waiting in line, help advance registration, and act as support to the registration table volunteers. Position requires friendly/outgoing demeanor, some walking and problem solving.

Help empower children to start their school years with confidence! Haircuts are one of the most popular services provided at Back 2 School Blast and volunteers can help the hairdressers. Volunteers will help sign people in, call names, clean up hair, and just make sure everything is running smoothly so the hairdressers can focus on the students.

Keep Back 2 School Blast running smoothly by helping attendees navigate the vendor floor and find what they need. Event navigators will help people with questions as they walk around and greet people. Volunteers will give directions and guide people to where they need to be. Long periods of standing and walking will be required for this position.

Have some fun with outdoor games and help entertain students visiting Back 2 School Blast!  Volunteers will run games and activities for students outside in the park areas including: Face Painting Cornhole Yard Darts, and Yard Jenga. These activities will be open to attending children and help make the day fun and interesting for them! First shift will help with set up and the last shift will be helping with clean up.

One of the most important way volunteers can serve at Back 2 School Blast! Help with clean up after the event by moving supplies and extra backpacks to storage locations. Breaking down everything after the event is a big chore and volunteers are absolutely critical to getting this done at the end of a long and busy day!

Get Back 2 School Blast ready the morning of the event! Volunteers will join event organizers and vendors in setting up the Montana Expo park area for the day. This position will be highly physical and will require standing, lifting, walking, building, problem solving, and organizing.

Volunteers will be working alongside partner staff to check attendees in as they arrive and process day of registrations while also handing out materials to get attendees started. This position is mostly seated, but may include some standing and walking.

Back 2 School Blast sees dozens of volunteers and vendors throughout the event! Help us manage all these volunteers to keep the event running smoothly. Volunteers will provide information to vendors as they arrive to make sure they are ready for the event and welcome fellow volunteers at the check in table and help get them started for their shift at the event by directing them to the proper location.

Help keep your fellow volunteers strong and steady throughout the event! These volunteers will serve in and out of the hospitality area by ensuring that volunteers get water and foods. They will also step in when needed to allow for breaks.

Back 2 School Blast will be spread out through two buildings and a park so volunteers to help keep traffic flow organized are critical to the event’s success. Help out by taking a post where you will check attendee event passports and ensuring they are heading in the correct direction and accessing the appropriate areas.