SoKY’s Choice: Stuff the Bus 5K runs deep in the community

Hundreds show up to Chaney's Dairy Barn to race, sweat, and support students across Southern Kentucky

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) – Runners, families and volunteers came together Saturday evening for the Bowling Green Athletic Club’s 9th Annual Stuff the Bus Family Fun Run at Chaney’s Dairy Barn, a tradition that’s grown into more than just a race.

“The Stuff the Bus 5K is just a great way to kick off our summer giving season, and to help create a level playing field for kids on that first day of school,” said Tony Rose, organizer of the event and founder of the Stuff the Bus Foundation.

The annual fundraiser supports Stuff the Bus, a nonprofit that donates school supplies and grants to classrooms across southern Kentucky. Rose said the event helps launch a busy stretch of summer outreach efforts.

“This really kicks off like a six-week stretch for a full year out in the community, collecting those school supplies, collecting those donations to make sure that every kid… gets all those essentials,” Rose said.

Among this year’s participants were Brandon and Autumn Neal, local runners and representatives of Hotworx, one of the event’s sponsors.

“We just love to support the community and try to be here for our fellow people in the community,” said Autumn Neal. “Anytime we can include what we do with Hotworx with other causes in Bowling Green, we definitely want to come out and support them.”

The couple had previously run races at Chaney’s Dairy Barn but said this was their first time participating in Stuff the Bus. “To be able to do this for the first year was very special, to be back in Bowling Green and really fun,” Brandon Neal said.

Not every participant had a sponsorship connection. For 5K runner Eli Brown, it was all about the joy of the run and the chance to contribute to something meaningful.

“I just want to do it to get out, have fun with it,” Brown said. “But knowing it helps other people too? That makes it even better.”

Rose said it’s the people, from elite runners to first-timers, who keep this event growing year after year.

“It’s hard to believe nine years ago we started this with just a few people, and now we’ve got hundreds of runners, plus the kids, all coming together for the same goal,” he said.

All proceeds from the race go directly to the Stuff the Bus Foundation’s work with local schools and teachers. According to Rose, hundreds of runners and supporters were on site Saturday evening, including over several kids who participated in the free Glimmer Gallop kids’ run.

“It really warms my heart as a runner, as an athlete, and knowing that everything, all the money we raise here today, all those registration fees, all the sponsorships, is going to help our kids on that first day of school,” Rose said.

For more information on Stuff the Bus and the cause, visit their website at stuffthebusky.com.