School supply giveaway a huge success
More than 300 teachers "shopped" for crayons, copy paper, glue sticks, three-ring notebooks and many more classroom needs without having to pay a dime during the seventh annual School Supply Giveaway for Teachers on Friday, Sept. 4.
The event -- sponsored by Love INC, community churches and local businesses -- was held at Linus Pauling Middle School where more than $100,000 in donations of school supplies were stacked on rows of tables free for the taking. Each teacher was given a large brown paper bag to fill with whatever they could use during the school year. If they needed help, dozens of teens representing various church youth groups, were there as voluntary "BOBs" or "beasts of burden" to carry their stash.
The giveaway featured a new "Teacher Exchange" section organized by retired teachers. This area offered bulletin board collections, posters, books and other teaching materials that had been used in the retirees' classrooms.
Every 10 minutes, door prizes were announced - gifts donated by area businesses including Blockbuster Video, Dairy Queen, University Hero, Dream Dinners, Schmidt's Garden Center, McGrath's, Francesco's, McMenamins and Big River Restaurant. Teachers also were treated to refreshments including homemade baked goods, fruit platters and Starbuck's Coffee provided by Northwest Hills Community Church in the "Bus Stop Café." As each person left, they were given a gift bag containing more donations such as "Post It" photo paper, a music CD, another ream of copy paper and a flash drive.
Wilma Van Schelven, Love Inc's executive director, explained the event is designed to be a tangible expression of appreciation to all teachers in Benton County. "We want to thank them for teaching our kids. Their hard work makes a tremendous difference ," she said.
To see more pictures of the 2009 School Supply Giveaway, click here.
