Over a hundred dedicated teachers form a line outside the Cobb County School System warehouse on a chilly winter morning. Inside the cavernous stockroom a few dozen volunteers prepare donated materials for the Teachers Supply Store quarterly open house.
School budgets are getting tighter than normal. Teachers get creative and purchase supplemental teaching supplies with their own salaries. Local companies and manufacturers have overstock, outdated products and byproducts that don't belong in the landfill. The nonprofit organization provides a helpful solution to repurpose useful items, transforming them into free educational materials.
Items such as carpet samples, fabric swatches, rolls of colored paper, twine, containers, buckets, cardboard storage boxes, Styrofoam, bubble wrap, MDF (medium-density fiber board), spools, specimen cups, and wooden blocks are used for science or art projects or classroom displays. Local companies also donate bulk quantities of paper, books, binders, posters, plastic storage bins, ink toner cartridges, envelopes, folders, and furniture.
Educators show proof of employment (school I.D., paycheck, or letter from an administrator) to enter the open house. Home school teachers are also permitted with a letter of intent. Teachers come from nearby counties and can take whatever they can carry out. First timers bring tote bags or boxes while seasoned open-housers graduate to push carts, rolling extra large suitcases, or brand new trash cans on wheels.
Already overflowing landfills get a break. Companies find a better use for unwanted items. Teachers’ pocketbooks are spared while accessing helpful education materials. Students benefit by stretching their creative imagination.
Visit the Teachers Supply Store for more information, to donate items, and the date of the next quarterly open house.
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