Stock Up For Others At Back-To-School Sales

Photo credit: evelynishere

I remember back in elementary school that you never really had to worry about running out of paper. Even though you were supposed to bring your own, you could always count on the teacher to bail you out with a sheet or two in a pinch. What I didn’t know then is those sheets of paper were likely bought with her own money.

Long gone are the days of the school supply cabinet. With shrinking education budgets nationwide and barely enough money to pay for the essentials, “free” pencils and paper that once were provided by generous school administrators are now coming straight from the teacher’s own personal stash. While some office supply stores will cut local teachers a break when they’re stocking up their classrooms, it’s still taking money directly from the pockets of our nation’s underpaid school teachers.

Unfortunately, there will always be forgetful children who neglect to pack enough paper, clumsy children who will break their last pencil, and poorer children who can’t afford the basic supplies for school. It is because of their love for these children that teachers willingly spend their own money to help their students’ education. But the drought in budgeted education spending by our elected leaders is no excuse for further burdening the teachers of our children with more personal expenses.

How You Can Help

To aid these generous civil servants, schools allow for donations of school supplies from individuals and businesses. They all have a great need for paper and pencils and I’m sure various specialized departments would appreciate out-of-the-ordinary donations such as graph paper, art supplies, and even musical instruments.

It doesn’t take much to lend a hand. All you have to do is scour for the best deals and remember that name brands don’t do provide any extra educational benefit. Mead may be a great company, but buying their supplies means each dollar you spend does that much less help versus buying store-branded or even unbranded supplies.

For example, two weeks ago, Office Depot held an great sale where many school-required supplies were on sale for 5 cents apiece or less. We traveled to both Office Depot stores in town and bought the maximum we were allowed of paper, folders, pencils, and crayons. We ended the day with four bags full of supplies for just $40 – all of which (except one box of crayons we gave to our daughter) will go to a local elementary school.

After the great deals we found there, we’ve made sure to examine every glossy advertisement we find in the paper or that comes in the mail to ensure we don’t miss out on another great sale. Teachers are an underpaid, under-appreciated resource and I want to do everything I can to help them educate our children. If it means spending a little extra that I wouldn’t have otherwise to help out some needy children and the teachers who mentor them, I believe that’s an easy sacrifice to make.

If you would like to pitch in, contact a nearby school and ask them directly if there are any supplies they need. School administrators have huge shopping lists that they’re more than willing to share with anyone who might be inclined to donate. If you can only afford to donate an extra box of pencils, that will be just as welcome as donating a grand piano to the music department – every little bit helps if it goes toward educating our nation’s children.