OUR PASSION

Students need supplies to learn. Teachers need tools to teach. Our community needs young people to drive our future. Free 2 Teach is the connection point for these needs. We connect our teachers with a multitude of resources including traditional school supplies, office supplies, furniture, room décor, craft items, books, math and science resources, even re-usable 3-D biology models available through our STEM Lending Library.

Teachers are tasked with one of the most important duties imaginable, to educate our children and create a new generation of leaders, thinkers and achievers. However, classroom needs go well beyond the limited state-allocated funding teachers receive for student supplies. Did you know that nearly 20 percent our community’s children live in extreme poverty and 36 percent of our public school students qualify for free or reduced lunch? What does it mean for our community if these students arrive at school without the tools they need to learn? How can these children even have a chance of success?

All too often teachers are faced with the choice of spending money from their own paychecks to provide critical supplies for disadvantaged students, or let these students do without in order to provide for their own families. In most cases, devoted educators spend between $500 and $1,500 of their own money to buy school supplies for their students and classrooms. This is a burden they shouldn’t have to carry alone. Free 2 Teach is committed to easing the personal financial burden of teachers and leveling the playing field for all of our students.

Each teacher who shops at the Free 2 Teach store leaves with an average of $505 in free classroom resources. The supplies teachers receive directly benefit students in two ways, 1) enhanced classroom instruction – benefiting all students and 2) teachers are able to put school supplies directly into the hands of the underserved students in their classrooms.

We are grateful to be able to give back to our community’s teachers in a very tangible way. We applaud their passion for doing this important work and look forward to supporting them as they continue to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students and our community.

“As a former teacher I know how important it is for a teacher to feel valued and encouraged by their community. We hope to add a little joy and happiness to each teacher’s day when they shop at Free 2 Teach.” Eula Battle, Executive Director, Free 2 Teach.

OUR THANKS

But we haven’t done this alone. This remarkable achievement is only possible because of contributions from local businesses, the generosity of community foundations and civic organizations, and the gifts of individual donors. Through countless supply donations and supply drives, and the gift of time from our many volunteers, Free 2 Teach is able to achieve the unimaginable. In just a few short years Free 2 Teach has gone from collecting and storing unused and excess supplies in Eula’s garage to giving away over $7.2 million of free resources to our teachers!

We thank you for your generosity, encouragement and commitment. Our story hasn’t ended. We are still at the beginning, perhaps, even yet in the first chapter! We look forward to continuing our story and serving our teachers, students and community for many years to come.