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Alexandria’s Francis C. Hammond Middle School gets backpacks and school supplies in ‘Stuff the Bus’ drive

By James Cullum
UNited Way NCA’s Stuff the Bus event collected school supplies for local Title I schools, including Francis C. Hammond Middle School in Alexandria (via United Way NCA)

An Alexandria middle school got a boost from the United Way of the National Capital Area with the donation of backpacks and school supplies.

Francis C. Hammond Middle School (4646 Seminary Road) joined six other Title I schools in receiving the backpacks, which were filled with grade-appropriate school supplies.

“Through the 2024 Stuff the Bus initiative, a total of 1,200 backpacks were provided for students at seven Title 1 middle and high schools in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia,” said Ian Gordon, United Way NCA’s vice president for community impact and engagement. “United Way of the National Capital Area’s goal is to reduce any barriers students may face to achieving academic success – including access to school supplies – and by providing school essentials for ALICE household students, we’re helping to reduce that extra cost for families.”

A list of the school supplies includes three-ring binders, pencils, pens, earbuds and more.

The seven schools supported by the initiative are below.A. Mario Loiederman Middle School (Silver Spring, Maryland)

  1. Buck Lodge Middle School (Hyattsville, Maryland)
  2. Hammond Middle School (Alexandria, Virginia)
  3. International High School at Largo (Upper Marlboro, Maryland)
  4. Kelly Miller Middle School (Washington, DC)
  5. Thurgood G. Marshall Middle School (Temple Hills, Maryland)
  6. Walt Whitman Middle School (Fairfax County, Virginia)
The event sponsors were CareFirst, Deloitte, Enterprise Foundation and Equitable Foundation.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.