Providing Binders, Backpacks, and Belonging

A grandmother in Middle Tennessee called United Way of Greater Nashville this summer with an urgent need.

After the tragic loss of her daughter, she had recently adopted her five grandchildren and was preparing them for the new school year. She had already taken out a loan to buy clothes. School supplies were an expense she had not faced in more than two decades.

While her situation was unique, the financial challenge was not.

According to Deloitte’s 2026 Back-to-School Survey, families spend an average of about $557 per K-12 student on back-to-school needs. Half of parents say they are cutting back in other areas to cover the cost. 

For ALICE families, households that earn above the federal poverty level but still struggle to afford essentials such as housing, childcare, food, transportation and healthcare, even a routine expense like school supplies can strain an already tight budget. These families often work one or more jobs but have little financial cushion for unexpected or seasonal expenses.

United Way connected the grandmother to the Back to School Bash, one of the distribution sites for the 18th annual Stuff the Bus drive. There, her grandchildren received backpacks, school supplies, shoes, and food.

“When I saw them there with their new supplies, and she introduced herself and thanked us, it was a beautiful moment,” said Emily Tardiff, senior account manager for development in Clarksville and Dickson counties.

“Everyone deserves new school supplies at the beginning of the school year,"

Volunteer Emily Weiss

Stuffing the Bus, Nashville Style 

The supplies that reached that family came from hundreds of donors and volunteers.

A signature United Way back-to-school initiative nationwide, Stuff the Bus brings communities together to provide backpacks and school supplies for students while helping reduce the financial burden on families. United Ways across the country hold similar drives each year to help children start school ready to learn.

In Nashville, 497 volunteers gathered at Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, on July 14 and 15 for Stuff the Bus. They collected donated supplies and assembled backpacks, joined by Titans Cheerleaders and team mascot T-Rac. Together, they contributed more than 1,988 volunteer hours. Fifty-five companies and individuals also donated supplies and resources to the effort.

For volunteer Emily Weiss, it was her eighth year supporting Stuff the Bus.

“Everyone deserves new school supplies at the beginning of the school year,” she said.

Chasity Farver, who has volunteered with the campaign for more than a decade, said she appreciates United Way’s impact in local schools.

“I love the presence they have in our schools,” Farver said.

By the Numbers

2026 United Way of Greater Nashville Stuff the Bus campaign: 

• Served 16,060 elementary school students
• Reached 58 distribution locations
• Supported students in 10 counties
• Exceeded its goal of 15,000 backpacks
• Addressed most of the documented need of 18,688 students

Since the campaign began, more than 153,000 Nashville-area students have started the school year with the supplies they need to succeed.

For those students, the impact can be simple but meaningful: walking into class on the first day of school with the same supplies as their classmates, confident they belong and ready to focus on learning.