Grateful teachers get help with supplies ahead of new school year
Teachers often have to pay for school supplies out of their own pockets.
However, thanks to a benefactor who was forced to close a school supply store in town, teachers had the rare opportunity to pick up free classroom materials they otherwise might have had to foot the bill for themselves.
On Sunday, Heritage Charter Academy, at 2107 Santa Barbara Blvd., hosted hundreds of teachers, from preschool, public and private schools and even Sunday school as they got dibs on anything they needed.
Shelly Homan, Heritage Charter Academy principal, said it all started when a man say his mother’s teachers supply store was closing and wondered if they would be interested in supplies.
“We went to her house and there are several teachers there and I didn’t want her to deal with the hassle of teachers coming to her house, so I offered to take them to our cafeteria and open it to the community,” Homan said.
The event was not publicized until the last minute, but the word got out quickly ahead of the first day of school on Wednesday.
Sadia Kanwan, a first-grade teacher at Heritage, said it’s exciting she could get decorative supplies for her classroom.
“I’m trying to make it colorful so the kids can have a good time. It has an impact on your emotions and the colors impact your mood,” Kanwan said. “It’s great that we don’t have to pay for all this.”
Emma Williams, a first-grade teacher from Athenian Academy in Estero, also got first dibs as a teacher from a sister school.
“It was fun to find stuff that I didn’t think I would need in my classroom. I got calendars and posters and tons of paper and games for the kids,” Williams said.
Janice Turner, third-grade teacher at Heritage, said it was exciting to have this for the teachers and not have them dip into their own pockets.
“Teachers often have to spend their own money on supplies and this gives teachers a chance to not even think about what they’re having to pay,” Turner said. “Teachers do that every year. It doesn’t matter what you teach.”
The event was supposed to start at noon, with teachers from Heritage and their sister schools getting first shot. However, a crush of teachers arrived early, and much of the merchandise was gone by noon.
Talia Longberry, kindergarten teacher at Tropic Isles Elementary School in North Fort Myers, couldn’t believe the kindness of the woman, who did not appear for the event and wanted to remain anonymous.
“I’ve already spent a ton of money on my classroom. This is so much easier. One of my fellow teachers shared the post on Facebook,” Longberry said. “This is a blessing from the person who just decided to give it away instead of throwing it away.”