Every Day is Earth Day at Schoolhouse Supplies
Happy Earth Day! How are you celebrating?
At Schoolhouse Supplies we are reflecting on the success we have had over the past 15 years reducing the amount of materials that might otherwise head to the landfill. In addition to new school supplies that we distribute through our Free Store for Teachers, we collect gently used items and give them new life in classrooms throughout Portland. To date we have distributed more than $22 million in free supplies, many of which would have otherwise been discarded.
On our shelves daily are books, file folders, desk organizers, branded incentives and more—all earmarked for the garbage or recycling. Instead, they are heading into classrooms to be put to good use.
That old saying, “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” certainly rings true for us.
We often receive calls from local businesses that are closing or downsizing. They need to remove whiteboards, file folders, copy paper and a sundry of office supplies from their office, STAT. We direct them to our online Pick-Up Request Form, and get the donation process started.
As a result, that operations manager has one less thing to worry about in shutting down their office, and we now have the means to support several teachers and classrooms. We see this exchange daily and know that those who are donating are making a significant impact on our classrooms.
Teachers Need Office Supplies…
Recently a new teacher at Harrison Park School came to us looking for a dry erase board. She had been using clear contact paper on cardboard as a work-around because she didn’t have the budget to purchase a dry erase board for her classroom. Ms. Acosta was full of gratitude when a local business brought in a 5’x7′ board that promptly found it’s new home at Harrison Park.
On Earth Day, look around your home or office, what items do you have that you aren’t using that could become a teacher’s treasure? Have questions about what we take, check out the list.
Our most needed office supplies are:
Binder clips
Clip boards
Electric staplers/pencil sharpeners
Graph paper
Hole punches (1 or 3)
Index cards
Legal pads
Notepads
Paper clips
Post-It notes
Rubber bands
Staple removers
Staples
Tape (masking, packing, scotch)
Tape dispensers (desktop)
White out
Correction tape