More than 1,000 backpacks with supplies for this upcoming school year for children in need were loaded at the ninth annual 'Stuff the Bus' event in Youngstown today.

"We are honored to participate in Stuff the Bus for the ninth consecutive year.  At Huntington, we're for people. For who they are and who they could become. Even helping someone in a small way can have a huge impact," said Huntington Bank Regional President of the Canton and Mahoning Valley Regions, William C. Shivers. "We proudly continue our initiative with the United Way to ensure, in the face of ever-rising costs, local families have the supplies for their children to successfully begin the new school year.  Absolutely nothing is more important than building the foundation for a bright future for our youth." 

Huntington Bank partnered with the United Way, 21 WFMJ, Cocca's Pizza and Great Clips for the event. 

"We know we can count on Huntington Bank every year to help our students go back to school.  This is huge for our families as the cost of school supplies is constantly on the rise, " said Bob Hannon, United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley President. "Our United Way focuses on breaking down the barriers faced by our students and families, and we cannot do this without the great community partners who step up every year to give back through this Stuff the Bus campaign."

As a part of Stuff the Bus, Cocca's Pizza and Great Clips are collecting donations that will help purchase school supplies for the backpacks.