As the excitement of a new school year builds, so does the vision of eager young faces returning to the classroom with shiny new notebooks, brightly colored pencils and stylish new backpacks. But, for many families, those back-to-school “basics” simply aren’t in their current budget.
Thankfully, The Educator Warehouse — which kicks off its 15th year on July 31st — is a lifesaver for both students and parents. Through a collaboration with Forsyth Educator Partnership, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Council of PTAs and WSFCS, teachers can “shop” at The Educator Warehouse for the learning essentials needed to fully stock their classrooms — and aid their students in starting off a successful school year!
“During our open houses last year, we served 520 teachers in two days, and during the rest of the year, we served about 50% of all of our teachers in the WSFCS system,” shares Karel Chandler, one of the organization’s founders. “It’s extremely important to us that the community knows we are still in business — and going strong — especially given all the current financial struggles within the school system. We are hoping to double the number of teachers we serve this year.”
Through generous donations from individuals, local businesses and other community organizations, students receive the daily school supplies they need, ready to start using on the very first day of class. This year’s open houses for teachers to “shop” include July 31st from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. for new teachers, August 1st from 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. for new and veteran teachers, and August 2nd from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. for new and veteran teachers.
During the rest of the school year, teachers can shop for needed classroom supplies on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m., and on the third Saturday of each month from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Teachers are allowed one visit to the warehouse per quarter and must sign up online to shop on a specific day, for a designated amount. Given their busy schedules, teachers can also take advantage of The Educator Warehouse’s convenient online shopping option, if they are unable to shop in person. To shop in person, visit The Educator Warehouse on the Diggs-Latham Elementary School campus, located at 986 Hutton Street in Winston-Salem.
Some of the most needed school supplies include:
- Glue sticks
- Copy paper
- Colored pencils
- Pens
- Eraser caps
- Dry eraser markers
- Dry erasers
- Highlighters and markers
- Sharpie markers
- Composition books
- Hand sanitizer
- Kleenex/tissues
Forsyth Woman will also be collecting school supplies for The Educator Warehouse at our July Girls’ Night Out. Make plans to join us Thursday, July 10th, starting at 5:00 p.m., at Twisted Pine, 527 N. Liberty Street in Winston-Salem. The more school supplies you donate, the more tickets you’ll receive for our GNO prize board! Plus, Twisted Pine will be offering menu and drink specials, so bring your best girlfriends and help stock The Educator Warehouse!
To donate school supplies any time or learn more about their much-needed volunteering needs, visit the facility’s webpage at wsfcs.k12.nc.us/domain/6689 where you’ll also find a list of commonly requested supplies. Those interested in volunteering can also email Karel Chandler at [email protected], or give her a call with any questions at 336.817.1673. To stay up-to-date on the latest announcements and news from The Educator Warehouse, check out their Facebook page, and follow @educatorwarehouse on Instagram.
