Investing in Kids (INK!) has launched the annual Tools 4 Schools classroom supply drive to support St. Johns County teachers and students through the 2023-24 school year. Community and business collection drives are scheduled across the county to prepare for the start of the school year on Thursday, Aug. 10.
Tools 4 Schools is a community-based classroom supply initiative that seeks to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for educators and ensure that both teachers and students have the tools they need to be successful in the classroom. To prepare for the school year, INK! and community partners host an annual countywide school supply drive over the summer. Individuals, organizations and businesses are encouraged to participate by hosting a Tools 4 Schools collection bin, donating supplies and volunteering to help sort and distribute supplies to teachers.
A 2023 Teacher Spending Survey conducted by AdoptAClassroom.org found that teachers nationwide spend approximately $860 of their own money purchasing school supplies for their students and classrooms. The purpose of Tools 4 Schools program is to minimize out-of-pocket expenses for St. Johns County public school educators with the goal of serving approximately 3,000 teachers and 50,000 students countywide.
According to Donna Lueders, INK! executive director, the Tools 4 Schools program reported record numbers of supplies delivered to teachers at every public school in St. Johns County during the 2022-23 school year. INK! filled and delivered more than 1,950 teacher-requested orders of classroom supplies and educational materials with a total a value in excess of $130,000.
For more than a decade, the Tools 4 Schools program has operated out of The Bailey Group Resource Depot, a permanent location donated by The Bailey Group that provides storage for the supplies collected during the Tools 4 Schools summer drives and throughout the year. During the school year, teachers can order supplies online through the INK! website and orders are filled and delivered by INK! to their schools.
The Tools 4 Schools program is made possible by annual donations from supporters including The Bailey Group, Publix and Staples along with local businesses that host collection drives, including Ameris Bank, Carlisle Interconnect Technologies, Community First Credit Union, David Weekly Homes, Northrop Grumman, Solar Stik, SouthState Bank, the St. Johns County Tax Collector and VyStar Credit Union.
For more information on Tools 4 Schools or to coordinate a community drive effort, contact Maureen Wilt at 904-547-7121 or email maureen.wilt@stjohns.k12.fl.us.
For a complete list of businesses and community drive locations visit https://bit.ly/toolsdrive2023.
The Tools 4 Schools community supply drive runs through Aug. 7.
