Dauphin County Commissioners, Northern Dauphin Human Services Center to hold annual Fill the Bus donation drive for back-to-school yard sales and First Day, Fresh Impressions program to help students in need get ready for school

Home More News Dauphin County Commissioners, Northern Dauphin Human Services Center to hold annual Fill the Bus donation drive for back-to-school yard sales and First Day, Fresh Impressions program to help students in need get ready for school

ELIZABETHVILLE, PA (June 27, 2019) – Dauphin County Commissioners Jeff Haste, Mike Pries and George P. Hartwick, III and the county’s Northern Dauphin Human Services Center (NDHSC) are collecting gently used clothing, school supplies and gift cards for their annual “Fill the Bus” campaign for students in need. The donations will be distributed at the free back-to-school yard sales and “First Day, Fresh Impressions” program.  

Items needed include clothing, school supplies, backpacks and Smart Style and Walmart gift cards. Boys clothing and jeans and pants for teenagers are especially needed. Individually packed, non-perishable food items for students, such as oatmeal, crackers, macaroni and cheese and peanut butter, will also be accepted.

“Please join us in ‘filling the bus’ with school supplies, backpacks and clothes for children and teens who may otherwise not be able to afford them,” said Hartwick, who has oversight of the county’s Human Services Department and the NDHSC. “You can help children start the school year ready to learn.”

Donations will be accepted on the following dates at Walmart in Elizabethville:

  • July 18 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a vendor event from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
  • July 19 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • July 20 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“We’re extremely grateful to the many generous donors, volunteers, community partners and school districts for making this annual back-to-school drive possible,” said Haste. “Our goal is to break down barriers to learning and success in the classroom.”

First Day, Fresh Impressions has also helped many area students in need get ready for school. Students are taken shopping for clothes and shoes and can get a haircut or style using donated Walmart and Smart Style Salon gift cards.

The free back-to-school yard sales and First Day, Fresh Impressions programs are scheduled for the following dates:

  • For Halifax Area School District, the yard sales will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 16 and Aug. 17 at the Halifax Middle and High School Gymnasium. Call Donna from Valleys Evangelical Covenant at 896-3118 to register for First Day, Fresh Impressions by Aug. 16.
  • In Millersburg School District, the yard sale will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 14 at the Millersburg Assembly of God, 2261 Shippen Dam Rd. Call Pastor Justin at 692-3904 to register for First Day, Fresh Impressions by August 5.
  • In Upper Dauphin School District, the yard sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on July 20 at the Trinity United Methodist Church, 25 East Main, Elizabethville. To register for First Day, Fresh Impressions, call Bonnie at 905-2700 by Aug. 2.
  • For Williams Valley School District, the yard sale will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Aug. 10 at the Ebenezer E.C. Church, 328 W. Market St., Williamstown. Call Lucinda at 647-2956 to register for First Day, Fresh Impressions by Aug. 17

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in 5 students live in poverty.

“The response from the northern Dauphin community every year is overwhelming,” said Pries. “We’re grateful for everyone who has stepped up to help students and provide them with the tools they need to succeed in school.”

The NDHSC, which coordinates these programs, is located at 295 State Dr. in Elizabethville.  For more information about the center and its programs, please call 717-905-2700.