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The Why
Elkhart Community Schools (ECS) Teachers report spending over $1,000 a year of their own money on school supplies and personal hygiene products for their students.
Regardless of their ability to pay, all students deserve the opportunity for success in the classroom. We must level the playing field and ensure that every student is equipped with the necessary supplies to thrive.
Exceptional educational experiences
start with having the right tools.
Our Solution
The Elkhart Education Foundation (EEF) stocks and maintains a Schoolhouse Supply “Store” for the benefit of students attending Elkhart Community Schools.
From August through April, ECS administrators, teachers, paras, counselors, social workers, and bus drivers have access to the tools that will help students succeed both in and outside of the classroom. Staff do not have to pay a single cent.
ECS Faculty & Staff can place their orders online and have the supplies shipped directly to them in their school buildings.
We have also started offering a Teacher Wish List, for those big items that are not necessarily needed, but markedly improve the learning experience.
11,000 Reasons to Help Erase the Need
We have over 11,000 students in Elkhart Community Schools. Many of these students don’t have some of the most basic supplies (paper, pencils, or even folders) that they need to be ready to learn. YOU have the power to put these essential tools into the hands of students who need them the most.
How you can help
EEF is able to maintain the Schoolhouse Supply Store because of the generosity of the greater Elkhart Community. There are a couple of ways you can support the Schoolhouse Supply Store:
- You and/or your business can collect new school supplies, and send an email to info@elkhartedfoundation.org to coordinate a drop off time.
- You can donate money to help replenish the inventory at the Schoolhouse Supply Store
Your donations can positively impact a student’s life,
an entire classroom, and the future of Elkhart.
Host a Drive
When you host a school supply drive at your business or organization, it’s a great way to make a difference by giving our most vulnerable students the educational tools needed to succeed in school. Plus, you will be helping us restock supplies in our Schoolhouse Supply Store.
- Gather our 20 most-needed items at your location and drop it off at EEF
- Encourage your team to make a financial donation on our website and make a note it’s a part of your organization’s supply drive.
Remember to take pics and tag us on FB and Insta and use the hashtag #EEFTools4Schools
Donate Your Business Surplus
Why not order extra supplies for EEF? Our schools could always use:
- Binders, 1 inch
- Dividers
- Paper clips
- Staples
- Binder clips
- Tape
- Post it notes
- Copy paper
- Paper towels
- Facial Tissue
Donate Funds Now
You can strengthen public education in Elkhart by making an individual or group contribution. Your generous gift will support our mission and programs, which include providing essential school supplies.
Here are examples of how your donation can make a real difference:
- $10 can supply 200 pencils
- $35 can provide a student with essential school supplies
- $100 can provide a teacher with crucial classroom tools and resources
- $250 can provide art supplies for an entire classroom
How it works
The Store has moved from in person shopping to an exclusively online operation. We regularly offer a list of about 20 items, with the option to request other items, subject to availability.
Each ECS staff member can place 1 order, with a maximum of 10 of each item. This was put into place to control inventory and to more easily keep items stocked.
We can only send items we have in stock, so any out of Stock items will not be sent or replaced with a similar item we do have.
Orders will be filled 2x per week, dependent on volunteer availability. All orders will be shipped through inter-office mail at least once per week. Orders will take longer in times of high demand.
Thank you to our Supply Store Supporters!