(Shreveport, LA) – United Way of Northwest Louisiana (UWNWLA) officially launched its 2025 school supply drive with an incredible show of generosity from one of its valued partners, Module X Solutions. The company hosted an internal school supply drive, rallying its employees to collect essential back-to-school items for local students. Module X exceeded its goal and raised over $5,000 worth of school supplies, helping to set a powerful tone for the campaign.

The donated supplies were delivered to Atkins Elementary, Module X’s neighborhood school and a Title I campus. According to Principal Rachenda Douglas, the contribution made through United Way and Module X Solutions is helping the school get closer to its goal of removing the financial burden of school supply costs for parents this year. The donation supports Atkins Elementary’s broader mission to eliminate the need for sending home a traditional supply list.

This outpouring of support marks the beginning of UWNWLA’s larger effort to ensure students in Northwest Louisiana have the tools they need to succeed. The next opportunity for the public to get involved is through the annual Fill the Bus school supply drive, happening this weekend at the Walmart Supercenter on Airline Drive in Bossier City.

UWNWLA’s Fill the Bus initiative allows K-12 students in Bossier parish to start the upcoming school year with the basic tools needed for success and benefits more than 4,000 elementary, middle, and high school children identified as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) and/or families struggling to make ends meet. ALICE are often our teachers, first responders, military/veterans and other service providers and working families. This initiative seeks to lessen the strain on already strapped household budgets as inflation rises.

“United Way NWLA’s Fill the Bus initiative plays a vital role in meeting the needs of local families by ensuring students in our region start the school year prepared and confident,” said Kimberly Williams, UWNWLA Director of Community Impact. “This annual school supply drive directly supports teachers by providing essential items for students to lessen the financial burden of back-to-school expenses for both. Ultimately, Fill the Bus strengthens our community by promoting educational equity and empowering students to reach their full potential.”

In 2024, UWNWLA’s Fill the Bus campaign collected over 29,000 school supplies with an estimated impact value of $22,891, benefitting both Bossier and Caddo Parish school systems. Monetary donations totaled more than $1,900.

Community members are invited to participate in this year’s Fill the Bus event for Bossier Parish Schools at the following Walmart location and times: