With September right around the corner, Enumclaw’s Fugate Ford is aiming to help students and their families prepare for going back to school.

On Saturday, Aug. 11, the dealership is hosting its second Truck Show and School Supply Drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its 526 Roosevelt Ave. location.

Although this will only be the second time the event is coming to town, co-organizer Jennifer Westby has high expectations.

“Last year, we had ungodly amounts of school supplies that came in,” she said, adding the donations were given to Nexus Youth and Families, a nonprofit entity serving local youths, to distribute to the Enumclaw and Auburn school districts.

This year, Westby hopes to literally fill the back of a Ford truck (or two) with school supplies like notebooks, pencils, scissors, glue sticks, and much more for local students.

“We’ve already beat, just in donations from our sponsors, what we had last year,” Westby said.

Westby and her husband, the parts manager at the dealership, started the event on a bit of a whim, wanting to take up a local cause they both found important, but was also fun and would get the community involved.

But since the first event, Westby has found a deeper meaning in giving needy students school supplies; she’s not only putting two kids through the public education system, but she recently became a school district employee and knows first-hand how school supplies can make or break a child’s education, as well as a parent’s budget.

“It’s near and dear to us. I wasn’t a school district employee before this started, but I am now, so it has a different meaning to me,” Westby said. “This really does help.”

While collecting supplies and raising funds are the most important part of the event, there’s also the chance to have some fun.

The main event is the truck show, which people can pre-register for by calling or texting 253-241-0521; it is permissible to just show up for the event, but pre-registering is much easier on the Westbys.

“Last year we had to move car lines, they came in so quick,” Westby said. “This year, we have it mapped out a little bit better.”

Competition categories include Best of Show, Pavement Princess, Most Used and Abused, and others, and winners will receive a trophy and bragging rights.

There is no fee to enter a truck in the show.

There will also be raffles; $1 a ticket for smaller items, $5 a ticket for larger items, the chance to win a Traeger by test driving a Ford, and — for a lucky 20 kids — the chance to win a backpack already full of supplies (kids will be selected randomly during raffle drawings).

“That’ll get them off to a good year already,” Westby said.

Finally, there will be a free barbecue for folks who attend.