South SLO County Womenade is wrapping up its 6th Annual “We Missed the Bus” school supply drive, an effort dedicated to supporting teachers in the Lucia Mar Unified School District.
While many community programs focus on gathering supplies for students, this initiative aims to fill a different gap, helping teachers who often spend hundreds of dollars of their own money to stock classrooms and provide for students who don’t have the basics.
From mid-July to mid-August, volunteers known as “Womenaders” purchased supplies, and this week they’re gathering to sort, pack, and deliver donations to 11 schools identified as high-need campuses.
Many of these schools are Title I, meaning at least 40% of their students come from low-income households. Deliveries will take place August 25–27, ensuring teachers are equipped as the new year gets underway.
Organizers say the need doesn’t stop after the first day of school. Principals report that classrooms often run low on supplies by the second semester, when donations typically taper off.
To help address that, Womenade is reserving half of this year’s supplies for delivery in January 2026, giving teachers a much-needed boost to carry them through the rest of the school year.
