SEMIOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A non-profit group is opening up a school supplies store for teachers at 11 of Seminole County's poorest schools.
WEBSITE: A Gift For Teaching
The Gift For Teaching store allows teachers to pick out school supplies for free and give them to students who can't afford them.
It's a rainbow of colors that any school-aged child would love, from folders to notepads and erasers to markers. But the new store in Sanford is not meant for students, but for their teachers in these tight times.
Teachers' Union President Gay Parker says more and more kids at Seminole County schools are without supplies, often because families can't afford them.
Teachers often fill the gap to the tune of hundreds of dollars.
"The teachers take it upon themselves to make sure they go to the store and they buy the things the kids need out of their own paychecks all the time," Parker said. "It certainly is escalating."
They won't have to anymore.
The non-profit shop, A Gift For Teaching, will give educators at Seminole's poorest schools free access to supplies their students need.
Four out of every ten kids are now eligible for a free or a reduced-priced lunch.
Along with backpacks and notebooks, there are toothbrushes, bars of soap, baskets of socks and even underwear for teachers to pick up.
"The past two years have shown us that the economic downturn has an impact on so many more families," said Jane Thompson, A Gift For Teaching.
Funding to buy the supplies comes from individuals, businesses and charities, in addition to the district's own philanthropic foundation.
At least for the time being, shelves are stocked and even the neediest children will be well-supplied.
A Gift For Teaching already has similar stores in Orange and Osceola counties.