With remote learning in full swing for at least the beginning of the 2020/2021 school year, the need for school supplies is now greater than ever. Students would normally have access to school supplies in the classroom, if needed. Currently, that is not an option.
The Chatham Education Foundation (CEF) saw a need and created a plan to fill it. All students need school supplies at home to be prepared and successful in remote learning, not just students that can afford them. We do not want the education resource gap to further expand between students because they did not have the supplies they needed to stay engaged and complete assignments.
After polling teachers in the Chatham County Schools, an Amazon wishlist was created and shared in our community. The outpouring of support was truly amazing! We received donations of supplies totaling over $6,200! This included over 12,000 pencils, 2,000 erasers, 2,000 glue sticks, 650 crayons, 700 packs of paper, and 400 packs of graph paper. The graph paper was for grades 3 and above. This allowed us to make over 650 complete bags of supplies, helping the students to be prepared for success! We are very thankful to the volunteers at Reaching Chatham’s Children for helping us to pack the bags.
CEF staff delivered over 500 bags of school supplies to some of the Chatham County Schools. The remainder of supplies are set-up and available for counselors, social workers, and teachers to use for students, as needed.
We cannot thank the community enough for coming together to support the students. TOGETHER, we are making a significant impact on the lives of children in Chatham County. To see how else you can help support teachers and students in the Chatham County Schools, please visit www.ChathamEducationFoundation.org.
