There’s still time to donate. Cash contributions are needed to fill in the gaps and keep supplies in the pipeline all year long, Communities in Schools program manager Terry LeRud said.

Checks are most needed now, she added. Donations may be sent to Communities in Schools of Tacoma, 708 S. G St., Tacoma, WA 98405.

You might, in the meantime, see a big yellow school bus making the rounds of some area businesses Thursday, stopping here and there to load up donated supplies, LeRud said. Kids from a handful of Tacoma elementary schools will pick up their supply-laden backpacks during a celebration Saturday at Mount Tahoma High School.

Other students from the Tacoma, Franklin Pierce and Bethel school districts will get them next week.

For more information, call 253-571-1114 or go to www.cisoftacoma.org.

Kris Sherman, The News Tribune