Carter County EMS is encouraging all of Carter County to help support school children for the upcoming school year with their ‘Stuff the Ambulance’ event. Carlie Dalton, who serves as the Public and Media Relations officer for Carter County EMS said that the service is hoping to collect much needed supplies for all the schools in Carter County.
“(We’re collecting) any kind of supplies that are needed,” Dalton explained. “Pencils, pens, notebooks, loose leaf notebook paper, or basically anything that might be on a school supply list.”
Carter County Schools list on their websites what students typically need for the upcoming year, Dalton said, with lists for all grades and their particular needs. The goal is for people to donate these items and stuff the ambulance as full as possible.
Dalton said one reason the needs for this upcoming school year will be more extreme is that funds supplied during the COVID pandemic have run out for the state of Kentucky. Now the children are responsible for all of their own school supplies, she said, and the cost of everything has increased.
“We understand that people might not have as much as they used to have,” Dalton said. “But if everyone could give just a little to support the kids, that would be great.”
With everyone feeling the strain of increased prices, and in many cases the lack of supplies available for purchase, there are secondary supplies that might be overlooked as well, Dalton said. She has talked to school resource officers about those other needs, and discovered that almost everything would be helpful.
“Classroom supplies like tissues, Ziploc bags, construction paper, Lysol wipes, or really anything you could think of would be useful,” she noted.
The Ambulance will be set up until June 23 at the Grayson Station, located across from the Carter County Detention Center.
“You can come in any time to the main office, or if the bay doors are open and we’re outside, you can just bring them in. Then after June 23 it will be at the Olive Hill Station until July 7.”
The ambulance will also be set up for stuffing at the next Grayson Block Party, so if you miss it at the two other locations, you will be able to bring your donations there, Dalton said.
Dalton said that since this is the first year Carter EMS has done a ‘Stuff the Ambulance’ event they are still working out all the logistics. But, she said, they hope to make it an annual event where community members can support our community school children.
“We want to be more involved in the community and help in any way we can,” Dalton said.
She said Carter County EMS is planning another donation drive for the fall as well, and hopes that the number of events they are able to do continue to grow.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
