SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — Boxes of school supplies arrived at Bond Elementary in South Tallahassee on Monday, enough to help 300 students, as part of this year's Stock the Classroom initiative organized by Oasis Christian Center and Amazon volunteers.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
Principal Antwan Cole says supplies provided by the school can run out quickly, leaving teachers to fill the gap out of their own pockets.
"Gifts like today kind of prevent teachers from having to use their own money and come up with those critical supplies that we used throughout school year. Not that we don't have them, but we utilize them so much that we run through them in an abundance," Cole said.
Assistant Pastor Rhonda Lloyd says the group chose Bond Elementary after hearing directly from teachers about the need.
"Bond was one of our schools because they're underserved, so we look for underserved elementary schools. Actually, we have about two or three teachers in our congregation, so they really tell us that they need the supplies," Lloyd said.
Third-grade teacher Ashley Brown says teachers receive a $300 stipend on their first paycheck after the school year begins, but that money often does not cover everything they need throughout the year.
"School is the safety net for a lot of our students, and we go through a lot of financial hardship when we have to take out of our own pockets or tap into that to provide for our students. They never know where kindness is coming from, and that's the key thing. That's why we do what we do as teachers. That's why we sign up to do that job, because we want to bring that kindness and care and compassion to some of those students who don't receive that all the time at home," Brown said.
The supplies collected, donated, and purchased are worth roughly $4,000. Teachers at Bond Elementary says the donations will not only help motivate students, but also ease some of the financial burden on teachers.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.
