Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.
One of my (many) favorite lines from the movie You’ve Got Mail, partly because I do always want to buy school supplies at this time of year. So when I got this e-mail from Merra Lee Moffitt, a friend in a networking group, I was more than happy to oblige:
Remember the teacher that changed your life? We all had that one teacher that made the difference for our education. Now our teachers are struggling and they need our help! Schools are running out of money and teachers are having to spend $500+ a year on supplies for their students and their classrooms. This year Merra Lee and her team have decided to do something about it by adopting a local school in need. We would LOVE it if you could help!
The school were adopting is the Millmont Elementary School in Reading [PA] because they are one of the most needy in the area. Due to the closing of a nearby elementary school, they have inherited approximately 500 extra students this year. We have attached a list from them with things teachers need most for the school year.
There’s a school in need in your neighborhood or your county. Why not put together a donation of school supplies for them? Merra Lee’s plea to those in her social media sphere netted two carloads of supplies (you can read about it in the Reading paper here). But even if you don’t put the word out to your friends on Facebook or fellow church members or business associates, you can simply make a donation on your own. Schools are not going to turn away your help.
Here’s the list of supplies requested by the principal at the school Merra Lee targeted. I’m sure the schools in your area could use many of the same things, but you can also call and ask what they need most.
Teacher Items:
- Crates
- Bulletin Board Borders
- Plastic Bins/Tubs to organize work for small group lessons
- Books for classroom libraries
- Small dry erase boards
- Dry erase markers
- Rags for the dry erase boards
- Stickers
- Stamps and stamp pads
- Rewards for students to encourage positive behavior
- Holiday decorations
Student Items:
- Pencils
- Erasers
- Crayons (fat)
- Colored pencils
- Drawing pads
- Notebooks
- Journals
- Folders
- Markers
- School Bags
- Collared Polo shirts (red, white, blue, and black) YM, YL, AS, AM
- Khaki or Blue Pants- various sizes
You can bless a school with supplies at any time of the year, but right now you’ll find crazy cheap bargains on supplies that you won’t get any other time of the year. Why not enjoy fall the way you used to—go crazy buying school supplies and make this back to school even better, for you and for someone else.