Barren Co. schools donate three school buses to eastern Kentucky

BARREN CO., Ky.-Barren County Schools are giving back to Letcher County classrooms in a unique way. 

“What we have in our parking lot would be a great gain for them at this time,” said Barren County Schools Director of Transportation Joey Bunch. 

Letcher County was hit by the deadly flooding in eastern Kentucky. They not only lost homes and buildings, but also critical transportation vehicles like school buses.

“We had 28 buses that were lost in the flood. They were flooded, covered in water,” said Letcher County Schools Superintendent Denise Yonts. 

In order to get kids safely to school, they rely heavily on bus transportation. 

“We are a very rural district. and even though Letcher County seems small, it takes quite a few bus routes,” said Yonts. 

This is where Barren County Schools are stepping in. They’re donating three of their buses. 

“What we thought was this was a great way for them to have access for their kids to be transported to school on a daily basis just as our kids are here in Barren County and the state. No greater way than for us to let them use three buses for however long they need to use that,” said Bunch. 

Everyone in the community is stepping up, calling their efforts ‘Letcher Light Shine’. 

On Friday, the Barren County football team will collect school supplies and cleaning supplies for Letcher County at their two-game night, the Trojan Bowl. They hope to fill the buses with donations.

“There’s gonna be a lot of folks here Friday night between the four schools between both the football games and it’s gonna be a great way to touch a lot of folks,” said Barren County Schools Athletic Director Warren Cunningham. 

The district is also collecting donations at each of the Barren County schools and central office. 

“School supplies, they need gloves for cleaning, waterproof boots, mops, wheelbarrows, they even need dehumidifiers to put in their schools to help dry things out,” said Bunch. 

The buses will depart for eastern Kentucky Wednesday, August 31.