VEA powering up the school year

For students throughout the area, summer vacation is coming to a close as they will soon return to the classroom and thanks to the generosity shown by the community during the annual Fill the Bucket Truck School Supply Drive, those classrooms will be stocked with all of the essentials needed to start the school year off right.

Hosted by Valley Electric Association (VEA), the Fill the Bucket Truck School Supply Drive took place Saturday, July 25 in front of three Pahrump grocery stores, including Walmart, Albertsons and Smith’s Food and Drug. Despite temperatures soaring into the 100s and a regional extreme heat warning, a troop of dedicated volunteers assisted with the effort, collecting everything from basic writing utensils to backpacks, folders, art supplies and much more, all of which help to ease the financial burden on area families and teachers. With many thousands of items donated, the co-op’s community tradition successfully transformed everyday weekend shopping trips into a collective investment for the upcoming school year.

“It was definitely hot but we have such a great group of volunteers who gave up part of their Saturday to help and they maintained a positive attitude all day,” VEA Community Relations and Visual Communications Coordinator Samantha Harris told the Pahrump Valley Times afterward. “We are also incredibly grateful to our community. Every year, people continue to show up with school supplies and monetary donations to help local students and teachers start the year prepared and ready for success.”

Making up the team of 43 total volunteers were several employees from Valley Electric and Valley Communications, along with VEA ambassadors and staff from the local Smile Reef Dentistry Office.

“Thanks to the generosity of our community, this year’s Fill the Bucket event resulted in 11- and-a-half buckets of school supplies and just under $2,500 in monetary donations,” VEA Director of Corporate Affairs and Community Relations Amy Carlson detailed. “While volunteers collect supplies at our donation sites, employees simultaneously transport the full buckets back to the Valley Conference Center. There, Valley employees and ambassadors sort the donations by school. We set up a dedicated table for each of the 12 schools receiving supplies and once everything has been organized, the items are boxed and delivered by Valley staff the following week.

“Monetary donations are used to purchase additional school supplies based on each specific school’s need,” Carlson added. “This allows us to fill any gaps after the donations have been sorted, ensuring every school receives the supplies that will have the greatest impact on students and teachers.”

Harris and Carlson noted that many organizations, including the NyE Communities Coalition, host back-to-school events that provide supplies directly to families. VEA’s Fill the Bucket event, however, focused on supporting local schools and teachers themselves.

“We know that back-to-school expenses can add up quickly for families and we also know that teachers often spend their own money to supplement classroom supplies,” Carlson said. “By working directly with schools we are able to help meet those needs and make sure students have access to the tools they need to learn and succeed.”

“This is one of our favorite community events because it brings together employees, volunteers, local organizations, businesses and community members in a shared effort to support students across our entire service area,” Harris chimed in.

Just because the VEA Fill the Bucket event is over doesn’t mean that there aren’t other ways for residents to help out as the school year proceeds. Harris highlighted the Valley Electric Charitable Foundation’s Operation Round Up program.

“By simply rounding up your monthly electric bill to the nearest dollar, those extra cents help fund programs and organizations that strengthen our communities,” Harris explained. “The foundation supports initiatives such as the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, assists schools with needs that arise during the school year, provides scholarships, supports youth sports programs and much more. It may seem like a small contribution each month but when our members come together, those pennies add up and make a meaningful difference.”

Carlson offered words of appreciation for all those involved in making the Fill the Bucket Truck School Supply Drive another success this year, including the participating stores – Walmart, Albertsons and Smith’s – and all the volunteers.

“We’d also like to thank Karen and the team at KNYE Radio for helping spread the word year after year and the Pahrump Valley Rotary Club for its continued support of this event,” Carlson concluded. “Most importantly, we’d like to thank the members of our community who generously donated school supplies and monetary contributions. Your generosity helps students throughout our service territory start the school year with the supplies they need to learn, grow and succeed. We are truly grateful for your support.”

For more information on Operation Round Up or VEA visit VEA.coop

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com