Collected items will stock the shelves at Tools4Schools, WakeEd’s Free Classroom Supply Store for Teachers
RALEIGH, N.C. — WakeEd Partnership (WakeEd), a business-backed nonprofit organization committed to supporting staff and students in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) is launching “Back to School with Tools4Schools” on July 12, a six-week community-wide school supply drive to stock the shelves and warehouse at Tools4Schools. The drive runs from July 12 to August 23, concluding just before the start of the traditional school year.
“Thanks to the generosity of the community and our many funding partners, we opened our free classroom supply store last year and have already given away more than $340,000 in new classroom supplies directly to teachers in Wake County,” said Keith Poston, President, WakeEd Partnership. “Now that the word is out among teachers about Tools4Schools, we expect the number of teachers shopping to go up significantly this coming school year and we want to be ready with fully stocked shelves.”
KICK-OFF EVENT
The Community Supply Drive will officially kick-off on Wednesday, July 12th at 10:30 AM at the Southeast Raleigh YMCA, 1436 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh, NC 27610. The YMCA of the Triangle is partnering with WakeEd Partnership to collect school supplies at their Wake County locations to support the Tools4Schools Community Supply Drive.
The Need
Based on research, each year Wake County teachers spend an average of $926 out of their own pockets for classroom supplies for their students. Since Tools4Schools opened in January 2022, WakeEd Partnership has given away more than $340,000 in new classroom supplies to Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) teachers. Tools4Schools has served 4,378 teachers from 93% of Wake County Public Schools. Additionally, 98% of teachers agree that Tools4Schools has reduced their out-of-pocket expenses.
School Supply Community Drop-Boxes
The Community Supply Drive will feature drop-off locations across Wake County. Additionally, several businesses and organizations are holding their own school supply drives to collect items for Tools4Schools. If you are interested in hosting a drop box, complete the form here. To view the Community Supply Drive Toolkit, click here.
Drop-Box Locations
- Tools4Schools, 1660 Piney Plains Drive, Cary NC 27518
- Culver’s of Apex, 1401 Kelly Rd., Apex, NC 27502
- YMCA Locations:
- A.E. Finley YMCA, 9216 Baileywick Road, Raleigh, NC 27613
- Kerr Family YMCA, 2500 Wakefield Pines Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614
- Taylor Family YMCA, 101 YMCA Drive, Cary, NC
- Northwest Cary YMCA, 6903 Carpenter Fire Station Road, Cary, NC
- Poyner YMCA, 227 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh, NC
- Alexander Family YMCA, 1603 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC
- Poole Family YMCA, 2110 Aversboro Road, Garner, NC
- Kraft Family YMCA, 8921 Holly Springs Road, Apex, NC
- YMCA of the Triangle Association Resource Center, 801 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27607
- Knightdale Station YMCA, 494 Knightdale Station Run, Knightdale, NC 27545
- Southeast Raleigh YMCA, 1436 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh, NC 27610
- Edwards Beightol Law Firm, 1033 Oberlin Road, Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27605
- TowneBank, 3535 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC
- Holly Springs Masonic Lodge, 224 Raleigh St, Holly Springs, NC 27540
- Ameriprise Financial Services, 3600 Glenwood Ave, Ste 130, Raleigh, NC 27610
- Massage Envy Morrisville, 1001 Market Center Drive, Ste 30, Morrisville, NC 27560
- Massage Envy Apex Beaver Creek, 1473 Beaver Creek Commons Dr., Apex, NC 27502
- Massage Envy Cary, 1385 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary, NC 27511
- Trinity Partners, Perimeter Park – Office Park in Morrisville, NC 27560
Special Events and Supply Drives (More Coming!)
UNC Health will hold its annual school supply drive campaign ending on August 4th with a “Stuff the Bus” event at UNC Rex Hospital and will deliver the supplies to the Tools4Schools store. Further details of this event will be announced soon.
SAS’ United in STEM interns and Skillbridge Fellows are running a month-long donation drive in July. They’ll collect and analyze data from teachers to understand what their classrooms need most, so contributions from SAS employees and others make the biggest impact possible. Items will be collected on SAS’ campus and via the SAS Beginning Teacher Wish List.
Staples at 3064 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27609 (Holly Park Shopping Center) is selling classroom supply kits at the cash register for $5 each through September. All boxes sold will go to Tools4Schools to put in the hands of our Wake County teachers. Each box has Expo markers, Sharpies, Sharpie highlighters, Paper Mate pens and pencils and Elmer’s glue products.
How can you support Tools4Schools?
MAKE A CASH DONATION – DOUBLE YOUR GIFT. All gifts are tax-deductible. Click here to donate using a debit or credit card. Checks can be mailed to WakeEd Partnership at 3101 Industrial Drive, Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27609, with Tools4Schools on the memo line. The 4Others Foundation will match ALL MONETARY DONATIONS to Tools4Schools through September 30 up to $50,000.
DONATE SCHOOL SUPPLIES. In addition to the annual Community Supply Drive in the summer, WakeEd accepts donations of new and gently used classroom supplies year-round to fill the shelves at Tools4Schools. A list of the most popular items requested by teachers at Tools4Schools can be found here. Donations can be dropped off year-round at Tools4Schools. Coordinate your delivery by contacting the WakeEd team at Tools4Schools@wakeed.org.
DONATE SCHOOL SUPPLIES USING OUR AMAZON WISH LIST. Shop the Amazon Wishlist to buy items most-requested by teachers and ship to the shelves at Tools4Schools. Click here and select the Tools4Schools address at checkout.
DONATE GENTLY USED OFFICE SUPPLIES. In addition to new supplies, WakeEd Partnership takes donations of gently used items for classrooms from companies, organizations, and individuals.
HOST A SUPPLY DRIVE. If your business or organization is interested in hosting a supply drive, click here to register your Tools4Schools classroom supply drive and click here to download our classroom supply drive kit and start collecting! If you have any questions, email Tools4Schools@wakeed.org.
VOLUNTEER AT TOOLS4SCHOOLS. WakeEd Partnership is seeking volunteers to help stock shelves, interact with educators, count and inventory supplies, package and sort supplies. If your family, club, or organization is interested in volunteering, click here to sign up via ActivateGood!
For information about additional giving opportunities, including corporate sponsorships, contact our fundraising team at development@wakeed.org.
About WakeEd Partnership
Celebrating its 40th Anniversary in 2023, WakeEd Partnership (WakeEd) is a leading independent nonprofit backed by business and community leaders to support the teachers, students, and families of Wake County Public Schools. Since 1983, WakeEd has been committed to improving public education and advocating for excellent educational opportunities for all students. For more information, please visit www.wakeed.org.