A Gift for Teaching’s Free Teacher Supply Store Re-Opens to Help Hundreds of Teachers Get Ready for Back-to-School
According to the National Retail Federation, household spending on school supplies continues to rise. Families with students in grades K-12 plan to spend an average of $875 for back-to-school shopping this year, budgeting about $142 for school supplies alone.
While some begin back-to-school shopping as early as July to spread out their spending budgets, that is not financially feasible for many families in Central Florida and the additional costs of getting their children ready for back-to-school is a significant challenge to bear.
With the help of our community, this is where A Gift for Teaching steps in to support Central Florida’s educators and future leaders.
More than 70% of public schools in Central Florida are considered high-need. This means thousands of students will arrive on the first day of school with nothing in their hands. Knowing this, teachers often add additional school supplies to their own back-to-school shopping list to purchase out of their own pockets so that every child in their class has an equal opportunity to start the school year with success.
In the first week of re-opening for the 2024-2025 school year, 737 Orange County public school teachers shopped at the Free Teacher Supply Store. In a few short days, more than a quarter of a million dollars, nearly $400,000 worth of educational supplies, were distributed to help transform empty classrooms into engaging learning environments for the first day of school.
Throughout the school year, eligible educators in the most under-resourced public schools can shop every month for free educational resources at A Gift for Teaching’s store, online for curbside pick-up, or through a mobile unit. Shopping teachers often bring an average value of $605 worth of free supplies back to their classrooms each visit. Click here for shopping eligibility and information.
A Gift for Teaching’s 25 years of local impact is powered by community support. To make a difference for the entire year and keep our shelves stocked beyond the back-to-school season, consider becoming a Classroom Hero. Matching funders will double your commitment of a recurring $25 monthly gift so that six classrooms can have access to essential supplies that empower teachers and inspire future leaders for a year.
