Four area Rotary Clubs are partnering with Durham non-profit Crayons2Calculators with a “Fill that Bus!” schools supplies drive for Durham Public Schools on Saturday, August 18.

Rotarians and the bus will be located outside the Office Depot, 4001 Chapel Hill Blvd. (at the corner of Shannon Rd. and Chapel Hill Blvd.), on August 18, and locals are asked to bring with them school supplies, to help fill the bus.

“There’s a tremendous need,” said Joyce McKinney, president of the Southwest Durham Rotary Club. “Some parents just don’t have the money to provide school supplies.”

McKinney said the Rotary Club decided last year it wanted to help the school system somehow and contacted Crayons2Calculators, which has been collecting supplies year-round since 2006. The need was great enough that the Rotary Club decided to continue the drive again this year.

Three-ring loose-leaf binders are not being accepted.

In addition, local businesses will have collection bins in their offices beginning Monday, July 16. Members of the public can drop off their donations at Durham Technical Community College, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham Police Department, Fidelity Bank, Durham Chamber of Commerce, Alliance Architecture, The Kitchen Specialist and Clegg’s Termite and Pest Control, during regular business hours. Three-ring loose leaf binders are not being accepted. For a complete listing of Partner collection sites, see bit.ly/Si2KDZ.

Over 60 percent of students in Durham Public Schools qualify for free and reduced lunch and may come from households that cannot provide adequate school supplies.

“The Supplies Budget for North Carolina Public Schools in 2011-12 has dropped to $33.26 per student from $60.23 in 2009-10, increasingly straining the budget of Durham Public Schools," says Newman Aguiar, Assistant District Governor for the Rotary area. "As a result, students do not have equal access to educational resources and far too often, teachers have to make up the difference by paying out-of-pocket to provide supplies for their classrooms. Rotary is committed to supporting our local public schools and in partnership with C2C and the Durham community we can help provide equal access to educational resources for all Durham students.”

“Fill that Bus!” is a community project coordinated by the four Durham area Rotary Clubs in partnership with Crayons2Calculators.