Wichita-area elementary teachers, get free supplies for your classrooms Tuesday

Local elementary teachers can get free supplies for their classrooms at an event Tuesday in Wichita’s Delano district.

Project Teacher and Credit Union of America are hosting a pop-up shop for teachers at the credit union’s Delano branch, 711 W. Douglas, at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

“Our goal for this event is to ensure classrooms have the core supplies needed to start the year off right,” said Terry Johnson, director of Project Teacher, in a news release.

“We realize that many classrooms still do not have the adequate tools needed and ultimately will run out before the holidays.”

The first 200 teachers at the event will receive a free YOOBI classroom kit, which includes pencils, crayons, scissors and other supplies for 30 students.

Teachers will be asked to present a school-issued ID.

Studies show that the average teacher spends more than $500 a year of his or her own money on classroom supplies — things like books, posters, games and organizational tools as well as paper, pencils, snacks and other basics to supplement what students bring (or don’t bring) to school.

Since it launched four years ago, Project Teacher has distributed about $5 million in supplies to local classrooms. The organization operates a resource center for teachers at 1435 N. Waco.

This story was originally published September 16, 2018 at 3:26 PM.