Frequently Asked Questions
Have Questions? We Have Answers!
Free 2 Teach FAQs
Please view some common questions about donating, shopping, and volunteering.
Teacher Shopping FAQs
Full-time teachers and staff who work in our schools with children from Huntsville City, Madison City and Madison County public schools.
Staff Eligibility
The store is open to full-time educators and staff who work with our children in our schools. You must have a @hsv-k12.org, @madisoncity.k12.al.us, @mcssk12.org, or @madison.k12.al.us email address to make an account. Positions able to shop with us are listed below. (Please reach out to info@free2teach.org if you do not see your role listed.)
- Pre-K-12 teachers (including Spanish, art, gym, and music)
- Principals/directors
- Vice Principals
- Media Specialists
- School Social workers
- School nurses
- Guidance counselors
- Speech/occupational therapists
- Long-term Substitutes with letter from Principal
- Instructional assistants/ Instructional coaches
- Paraprofessionals
Yes. Before you can schedule your first visit, you must register to shop at www.free2teach.org using your school email address. Click on the Teacher tab and then on the “Sign up to shop button.” After you register, you will receive your username and password via email. To make an appointment to shop, log into your account and choose a time slot from those listed.
You only need to register once. However, you must schedule an appointment every time you want to shop. We currently are not able to accommodate walk-in shoppers.
Our focus is core supplies and more. Beyond those “core” supplies (pencils, glue, scissors, markers, etc!), we regularly receive new shipments of great items for you to use in your classroom and to pass on to your students. From traditional school supplies, office
supplies, math and science resources to craft items, room décor, books, furniture and more, we hope you find amazing things for your classroom and students!!
Each time you check-in for your scheduled visit, you will receive a shopping list. The list will have limits on certain items and categories of items. The limits are subject to change based on inventory fluctuations.
Each time a teacher shops, they leave the store with an average of $455 in classroom resources and educational tools.
You can shop once every month.
Shopping is by appointment only. Shopping hours are Tuesday & Thursday, 3:00pm-6:00pm and the first Saturday of each month, 8:00am–12:00 pm.
Shopping hours end at the close of the school year. We will open again for teacher shopping in the second week of July. The month of June and first part of July will be used to prepare the store for the new school year.
Our address is 3054 Leeman Ferry Road, Huntsville, AL 35801 Our store phone number is 256-886-7065 We are located one block south of Drake Avenue. You will turn right into the parking lot and we are the second building on the right.
No, as an organization, our mission is to support children in our public schools from pre-K through High School in our three public school systems. Our funding structure and charter as an organization is founded on addressing the needs in our public school system. Thank you for understanding!
Volunteer FAQs
After we show you the store and introduce you to our mission and model, we will typically break your group up to focus on different projects throughout the store and warehouse. Some may be sorting books, others might be organizing resources or counting donations.
We operate out of a large warehouse that is hot in the summer and cooler in the winter. We suggest dressing in layers, and wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the summer. Please wear closed toed shoes.
We often have larger groups break up based on their comfort with the projects we need completed, and if you do not feel comfortable lifting or moving larger objects we will not assign you to those tasks. There is some heavy lifting involved for those who are able.
While this is not a requirement of our volunteer teams, we do encourage our volunteer groups to give back if they are able. We are a small, focused nonprofit with a big mission and vision. Our staff work hard to support your group and every dollar makes a difference in supporting our team and keeping our lights on and shelves stocked. If your group would like to donate this is welcomed but not required. Our goal is to connect you to our work and we think that you will love it! If you are a corporate group who would like to volunteer with us, we encourage you to get connected and will share with you ways that your company can get involved as supporters if that is ever a fit.