‘Times are tough’: 9 School Tools donations help teachers with needed supplies

CHARLOTTE — Classroom Central in West Charlotte was bustling with activity on Wednesday as people dropped off donations to help students in need this school year.

These donations are crucial as they fill the shelves at Classroom Central’s warehouse, allowing teachers to shop for free supplies to support their students.

“Families are struggling. Economic times are tough, and our families just need a little support, a little something extra,” said Kimberly Dillard, a teacher at Berryhill Elementary School. “We actually don’t require our families to provide materials and supplies for the classroom. So what we pick up here at Classroom Central is a huge help for teachers, because we spend a lot of money on things for students for the classroom.”

Tracie McClain, a science teacher at Albemarle Road Middle School, described the experience as “like it’s shopping at the mall.”

“But it’s fascinating; I’ve been doing it since 2004,” McClain said. “It’s really a great resource for us -- some of our kids really don’t have.””

Teachers in North Carolina spend more than $1,600 of their own money annually on classroom supplies, second only to Pennsylvania.

Classroom Central allows teachers to shop for free once a month, ten months out of the year, with each item having its own limit. One teacher managed to obtain $1,500 worth of supplies in a single trip, while the most frequent shopper received over $12,000 in free supplies last school year.

The donation drive continues through the end of this month, with new school supplies being accepted at Charlotte Fire Department stations, Ashley Furniture stores, and E-R Services locations.

CFD rolled up with a truckload of supplies to Classroom Central. The department tells Channel 9 that taking care of the community is just what they do.

“Charlotte Fire is always looking for ways to interact with the community, not just responding to fire calls and EMS calls, but we gotta be a bigger partner within the community, so any way we can serve the community, especially children, we’re going to take part in,” said CFD Battalion Chief John Lipcsak.

You can get more details on donations at 9SchoolTools.com

(VIDEO: ‘Supporting you’: Classroom Central packs record number of backpacks for Carolinas students)