Donate school supplies and give the gift of learning. For many people around the world basic school supplies are a luxury they cannot afford or may not have access to. Here in the United States, budget cuts mean that families are being required to provide increasingly longer lists of supplies for their children each year. This can be a tremendous financial burden, particularly for families with more than one child. If you have a surplus of school supplies that you would like to donate, consider one of the following options.
Across America more and more school districts are having to increase the amount of supplies students are required to provide due to budget cuts. Most teachers spend $500-$1000 a year on school supplies for which they are never compensated. Adopt-a-Classroom's stated mission "is to give teachers a hand and provide needed classroom materials so their students can succeed". You can search for a specific classroom or teacher on their website. Not all teachers are registered with the site, so you might not find your child's teacher.
Founded by the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and the Carolina Panthers in 2002, Classroom Central serves 127,000 students in six school districts which include 199 high poverty schools in North and South Carolina. Their most frequently requested items are notebook paper, pocket folders, composition books, markers, pencils, scissors, colored pencils, crayons and glue.
In 2015 the Kids in Need Foundation supported 4.8 million kids and more than 150,000 teachers with their initiatives. Through the foundation teachers can apply for classroom grants. In addition, school supplies are provided for children who otherwise would go without as well as children who are the victims of natural disasters.
Here in the Kansas City, Kansas area KVC Kansas "represents one of the strongest and broadest child welfare and behavioral healthcare continuums in the nation". Among their many programs, they conduct an annual Back to School Drive to collect backpacks and school supplies to assist needy children and families. Find a detailed list of needs on their website.
Save the Poor International is a non-profit organization working with schools, orphanages, hospitals, clinics and individuals in the Republic of Ghana. Their efforts are focused on promoting health, education, and the welfare of orphans, street children and persons with disabilities. They organize volunteer programs, international youth exchange programs, rural development projects, and information technology and community computer literacy projects. They distribute and donate school supplies, computers, laptops, books, and humanitarian aid to rural community schools and institutions around Ghana. At the request of Save the Poor International a detailed list of their current needs is provided for download. Click here to access the list.
School on wheels provides school supplies, tutoring and other services to homeless children. Homeless children receive a backpack filled with school supplies. Most needed items are loose leaf notebook paper, 3-ring binders and pencil sharpeners. Click on the link for an extensive list of needed items.
Donate school supplies and make a real difference in your community. By simply sharing your surplus, you can provide for the basic needs of students in your local school or around the world. What a great way to declutter!
This list is meant to serve as a resource. Readers are encouraged to look into organizations indicated here on their own for further information. The presence of an organization on this list does not constitute an endorsement on my part, nor do I represent any of the organizations identified here. To contact any of these charities, simply click on the title of the organization above to link to their website.