Stuff the Bus 2026
Hundreds of families across our community will struggle with the back-to-school season, forced into deciding between paying their power bill or buying their child the supplies needed to thrive in school. As any parent knows, the start of school is more than just buying a new book bag. 
It’s paying for sports physicals, new jeans, pencils and pens, shoes for gym, markers for science class, calculators, recorders for music class, jackets, socks, erasers, headphones, tissues, and more. When budgets are already tight, back-to-school shopping can break many families’ thin margins.
To help shoulder this burden, United Way of Lincoln County is teaming up with Atrium Health, Lincoln County Schools, and Denver Pediatric Dentistry to stuff the bus full of school supplies for families in need!
After all, every Lincoln County child deserves the chance to start the first day of school with their head held high, ready for success! Together, we can wrap our arms around the entire community, lifting up the children, families, and teachers in need to ensure that the next generation can put their best foot forward.
Here's How You Can Help
Drop off donated school supplies at the closest donation site nearest to you or use the Amazon Wish List link below!
Aptar
330 Finger Mill Rd.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Atrium Health Lincoln
433 McAlister Rd.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Atrium Health West Lincoln Family Medicine
3970 W Hwy 27
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Chick-fil-A (Lincolnton)
1904 E Main St.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
City of Lincolnton City Hall
114 W Sycamore St.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Court Street Grille
113 Court Square,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Denver Pediatric Dentistry
275 N Hwy 16, Ste 204B
Denver, NC 28037
Denver United Methodist Church
3910 N Hwy 16 Bus,
Denver, NC 28037
Discount Kitchen Direct
303 E Sumner St.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
First Citizens Bank
425 E Main St.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Fresh Chef Kitchen - Denver
179 Cross Center Rd.,
Denver, NC 28037
Green New Energy Material
1011 Lincoln Commerce Ct.,
Denver, NC 28037
HUBER Technology LLC
1009 Airlie Pkwy,
Denver, NC 28037
HYDAC
1051 Airlie Pkway,
Denver, NC 28037
Keller Williams Advantage
7585 NC Hwy 73, Ste G,
Denver, NC 28037
Kintegra Family Medicine
212 Gamble Dr.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Lincoln County Family YMCA
1402 E Gaston St,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Lincoln County Tax Dept.
100 East Main St.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Lincoln County Health Dept.
200 Gamble Dr.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Lincoln County Senior Services
612 Center Dr.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Lincoln Cultural Center
403 E Main St.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Lincolnton Police Dept.
701 E Main St.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Milk & Honey Mercantile
107 Court Square,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
The Pickle Fetish
109 East Main St.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
ProWellness Family Chiropractic
644 Clark Dr.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Salem Industries
1636 Salem Church Rd.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Sally’s YMCA
1601 Forney Creek Pkwy
Denver, NC 28037
Tableco
2498 E Main St.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Timken
1000 Timken Pl,
Iron Station, NC 28080
Torches Print Shop
688 N NC 16 Hwy, Bld. A,
Denver, NC 28037
United Bank - Lincolnton
901 E Main St.,
Lincolnton, NC 28092
School Supplies & Other Needs
High priority items noted by an asterisk*.
Composition books
3-ring binders (1-inch+)
Folders*
Pencils
Expo markers*
Highlighters*
Glue sticks*
Scissors*
Crayons
Colored pencils
Pencil sharpeners
Erasers
Earbuds/headphones
Bookbags
Pencil bags
Pop-top cans
Individual mac-n-cheese
Granola/cereal bars
Cheese crackers
Spaghetti sauce
Pasta
Peanut butter
Non-perishable items
Cleaning wipes*
Tissues*
Ziplock bags*
Paper towels
Travel-size hygiene products
Volunteer
There are several volunteer opportunities, and United Way of Lincoln County needs your help to serve our community and get Lincoln County kids ready for the next school year! Check back through the summer to see what volunteer opportunities there are!
Sponsor
Businesses and organizations can always consider sponsoring any of the events UWLC puts on throughout the year, including Stuff the Bus. Sponsors help support endeavors to better our community, helping us reach more individuals in need and therefore helping our mission of improving the lives of everyone in Lincoln County.
Stuff the Bus 2025
Our Stuff the Bus event in 2025 brought in more supplies than ever before, and we're so grateful to our amazing community for coming together to do so! At the back-to-school events, the West ARC was able to help 135 children get new-to-them clothes, and the Central ARC has served over 200 during its shopping days, too. The donated school supplies were given out at West Zone, as well as in the Sunrise Community. Closing out Stuff the Bus 2025 were the Teacher Shop Days, where more than 75 teachers were able to get materials for their classrooms and help students who may not have the supplies that they need. Thank you to Atrium Health, HUBER Technology, Communities in School, and Lincoln County Schools for partnering with us for last year's event.
Enjoy the pictures below from all the events during 2025's Stuff the Bus!
