Old North News

To help start the school year off on the right foot, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation made $45,000 in school supplies available free of charge this week for teachers to use throughout the year.

"Our teachers more than ever need to feel loved and appreciated and supported,” Madeline Blobe, the foundation’s executive director, said in a WTVD report. “So that is the main reason we're here, so that they know that this community supports them and we're here for them.”

Blobe said teachers typically spend hundreds of dollars of their own money on supplies for the classroom. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation aims to reduce that burden.

The East Chapel Hill Rotary Club raised funds for the supplies this year, and more than 600 teachers were expected to be served. 

Teacher Yolanda Grant said the event is appreciated, as teachers felt very low during the pandemic. Now, the instructors feel good about being recognized for their work.

"I don't think a lot of people really realize how much teachers put their own money into getting their classrooms together, so to be able to have an organization like this come in and actually help us out with the supplies is awesome,” Grant said.

Each teacher could choose $50 worth of schools supplies from this year’s Teacher Supply Store, the WTVD report said. They could also pick up a $25 Walmart gift card that can be used to purchase supplies later. 

The event has been serving teachers since 2008, alternating between middle school and high school.

"We just want to continue sharing our love with them and our appreciation for them and make them feel wanted and appreciated here,” Blobe said.