Back-to-school shopping spree: Central Elementary benefits from OfficeMax donation program
PETOSKEY — Teachers from Petoskey's Central Elementary School went home with more than $2,000 worth of school supplies after a recent shopping spree at OfficeMax.
The shopping trip was made possible after the school was selected as a Title I school to benefit from cash register donations. Teachers made the trip over to the Bear Creek Plaza store on Thursday, Aug. 10 to purchase $2,114 worth of school supplies.
Central Elementary School Principal Matt Saunders said the manager of the OfficeMax reached out to the school to see if they would be interested in the sponsorship.
Prior to the shopping trip, teachers at the school wrote out things they’d be interested in, such as notebooks, folders and safety scissors. They also included items like no-jam staplers to help replace older equipment.
“I think the biggest thing is just for the teachers to know that the community supports them,” Saunders said. "Businesses feel the need to, or like to, support education, students and teachers.”
Saunders added that having the sponsorship can also help take the load off of parents who are ready to go shopping for their children ahead of the start of the new school year.
During the Aug. 17 Public Schools of Petoskey Board of Education meeting, Saunders said their cart was entirely full and he had to send the teachers to buy more because the group was still $800 short from their spending limit.
“Sometimes class supply lists can get long and can be hard on parents,” Saunders said. "I know there's a lot of charitable organizations that pack the bus and backpacks and all that stuff, and that's great — but it's also nice just to have that stuff on hand where teachers don't have to worry about getting it from somewhere else. They can just go to the supply closet and get what they need.”
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At OfficeMax, customers are able to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar to donate or donate full dollar amounts on the card readers, Saunders said.
The cash register donations are open through the end of the year. The second disbursement will be given to the school in October, and the last in January.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Central Elementary benefits from OfficeMax donation program
