• Who: Camas and Washougal high school students.
• What: Stuff the Bus canned food, toy and clothing drive.
• When: Noon to 6 p.m. Friday.
• Where: Camas High School, 26900 S.E. 15th St., and Washougal High School, 1201 39th St.
Camas and Washougal high school students haven’t begun to stuff the buses yet. Nevertheless, they’ve already rounded up more than $3,000 and several thousand pounds of food.
The two high schools are battling for the annual title of Stuff the Bus champion and bragging rights for the next year. The schools have been collecting donations of canned food, clothing and toys that students will cram into four school buses from noon to 6 p.m. Friday. Cash donations are also being accepted and will be used to purchase canned food.
About 60 bins were placed at businesses in the two cities in October. All of the elementary and middle schools have been collecting donations as well. Donations dropped off at local businesses will be delivered to their respective schools.
On Friday, students will fill the buses with donations. The school buses will then be weighed at Exterior Wood in Washougal. The winning community will be named at about 7 p.m. based on which school gathered more pounds of goods per student in the district.
As of Monday, Camas High School had collected nearly 3,000 pounds of food and more than $1,500, according to the school’s newsletter. At a school kickoff assembly Nov. 24, students donated $500 in one minute, the newsletter said.
In Washougal, raffle ticket sales the day before Thanksgiving brought in about $1,100 and a previous event raised $550, said Tabitha Shaffer with the Camas-Washougal Business Alliance. Washougal schools have also been collecting canned food donations, but Shaffer said it’s tough to tell exactly how much they have.
All donations will stay in the two communities. The goods will be divided among the C.A.R.O.L. program run by the Camas Fire Department, Children’s Home Society and Interfaith Treasure House, Shaffer said.
Last year, the Stuff the Bus event attracted nearly 50,000 pounds of donations, and Camas beat Washougal by less than 2,000 pounds. This year, organizers hope to exceed the 2008 total, despite the struggling economy.
"I think that people still are opening their hearts and giving as much as they can," Shaffer said. "And I do think we are going to do as well as last year."
Donations for the event are still being accepted. They can be sent to school with children today and Friday, dropped off at either high school from noon to 6 p.m. Friday, or placed in bins at local businesses.
Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.
