ROSEBURG, Oregon – On Friday, August 24, a 14-volunteer brigade-led by the Associated Students of Umpqua Community College (ASUCC)-took to the Roseburg Fred Meyer parking lot with one goal in mind: Fill the Bus and garner as many donations for students as possible.

It was kind of a pilot run, Jantyne Bunce, a peer mentor at UCC, said. We wanted to get at least one set of seats filled and we probably filled that one set of seats within the first hour.

As the nine-hour event came to a close, ASUCC collected approximately 500 food items, over 800 school supply items, 130 hygiene items, and $500 in monetary donations.

As fall term classes draw near, so does stress for many students whose basic resources are out of reach. This inaugural Fill the Bus event provided the platform needed to collect those resources.

We just try to provide anything we can to take the stress of everyday life off of our students, ASUCC President Byronna Thomas said.

It means being able to give students in need food boxes throughout the terms to feed their families and feed themselves, Bunce said. It means making sure students can focus through their classes.

I feel like it was a huge success, Thomas said.

With this success, ASUCC is planning to continue donation and community outreach events like Fill the Bus over the coming school year.

About Umpqua Community College

Nestled in the beautiful North Umpqua River Valley, Umpqua Community College is the regional center for higher education in Douglas County, Oregon. UCC provides high quality college degree programs, workforce development, and community learning opportunities.