ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — Recent budget cuts have local schools short on supplies. With flu season in full swing, there’s need for basics like hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes in the classrooms.

There’s also a need for things like tissues,  heavy-duty trash bags, crayons, sticky notes, colored copy paper, copy paper, pens, lined loose-leaf paper and construction paper 

To help central Baldwin schools get those supplies, the Central Baldwin Education Foundation has decided to run a “Fill the Bus” event to get much-needed supplies for local schools. The promotion started earlier in the week, but the Loxley school bus, piloted by Robertsdale City Councilman and former Robertsdale High Assistant Principal Paul Hollingsworth, will be at the following places:

Jan. 28

— Silverhill Elementary School, 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

— Robertsdale Elementary, noon to 4 p.m.

Jan. 29

— Robertsdale High, 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

— Honeybee Park, noon to 4 p.m. 

The bus was at other Central Baldwin schools earlier in the week. If your favorite school is not listed, you can still bring items to the bus or to the school.

“With the budget cuts, the needs are not being met,” explained Ashley Kucera, a member of the CBEF.

“The schools have had to buy this stuff, and there’s no money for it,” explained CBEF member Ann Simpson.

The wipes and hand sanitizer are especially important as we are now heading into the months that have the highest number of flu cases, added Cheryl Pischek.

While it may seem strange to some that schools need basics like 55-gallon trash bags, copy paper and soap, CBEF member and Robertsdale City Councilwoman Sue Cooper can recall bringing her own toilet paper and soap to school when supplies ran low, and recalls supplies being tight whenever “proration” (where the legislature takes back money previously budgeted) was in effect, but the need “was not as severe” as it is right now.

“It was never this severe,” agreed CBEF member Brenda Pierce.

A complete listing of items is on the CBEF Web site, cbef.org, and several schools have items they are in particular need of. Contact your favorite school for more specific needs.

Donations need not be expensive. According to an office supply store Web site, a ream (500 sheets) of copy paper sells for about $7. A pack of colored paper is about a dollar more. Cases of paper are more, but deals can be found. According to CBEF members, it does not matter if a person brings one ream of paper or a whole case of supplies.

“There are a lot of people who want to help, but they don’t know how,” said Simpson.