How to donate school supplies for Milwaukee students

Rory Linnane, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·3 min read
School supplies are pictured at the Food is Free pantry in Milwaukee in 2020. As many families are unable to afford school supplies for the new school year, teachers are raising funds to help.
School supplies are pictured at the Food is Free pantry in Milwaukee in 2020. As many families are unable to afford school supplies for the new school year, teachers are raising funds to help.

Hundreds of Milwaukee teachers, librarians and other staff have made requests through the DonorsChoose platform to be able to buy their students basic school supplies, food and water, and special furniture and technology to make school more welcoming for their students.

Here are projects you can find on the platform and how you can support them.

Milwaukee teachers say students come to school without basic supplies

Milwaukee Teachers on DonorsChoose are asking for help with a range of requests. Here's a sample:

  • Basic school supplies at Nathaniel Hawthorne School: “Many of my students, unfortunately, come to school on day one without any school supplies. Prices have gone up and many of my school families cannot afford to buy the necessary school supplies that are needed for learning."

  • An emotional support corner at Audubon Middle School: "After Covid, the number of students suffering from mental health has increased. My amazing scholars are in need of a place in the classroom in which they can decompress or rest when feeling overwhelmed."

  • A video camera at Burbank Elementary, to create a YouTube channel featuring school students and staff teaching lessons on phonics: "Our students have fallen behind because of behavior, class sizes, feeling intimidated, bullying, etc. There’s not enough instructional time for them to learn. Plus who wouldn’t love seeing teachers and friends on YouTube."

  • Books celebrating diverse cultures at Highland Community School: "These books will encourage a love of reading, and they will help students build knowledge and appreciation of their classmates' backgrounds while fostering pride in their own heritage."

  • Book nooks at Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language: "Every student deserves a private space to get lost in a book or create a story of their own."

  • Pencils at Carson Academy: "I work in a school where a majority of my students are not able to come to school with the necessary school supplies to learn and engage in daily activities."

  • A Sunshine Cart with snacks and cold water at Lancaster Elementary, which lacks air conditioning: "The students have barriers such as hunger and thirst which often stand in their way. By creating a healthy snack station within the classroom, we can help ensure students have the tools they need for successful learning."

Pulaski High School librarian asks for help with 'glow up'

When Sara Kemp became the full-time library media specialist for Pulaski High School last fall, the students weren’t used to having an open library, she said. The school had relied on a part-time librarian, and the library was closed most of the time.

Since then, Kemp has supported a reading club of about 30 students called the “Legendary Readers,” developed a makerspace, and helped students check out over 3,000 books — up from about 700 the prior year.

Betsy Cruz, 17, was the secretary of the book club last school year. She said she had become a "bookworm" after "going through a rough patch" and finding comfort in books. She was excited to see the library come alive.

"It makes you want to read more, and you feel the comfort from everyone around you while you read," she said.

Now Kemp wants to make a more comfortable section for independent reading and collaborative activities. She set a goal of raising $1,000 on DonorsChoose to "glow up" the space with an area rug, coffee table, nightstand and lamps.

Kemp is also raising funds to provide every freshman student with a copy of the book “Long Way Down” for a "read-athon" this fall.

How to donate

On the DonorsChoose website, you can search for projects in a certain city or school. When you click on a project, you can select any amount to donate.

Donations are tax deductible. The money goes to DonorsChoose, which purchases the requested items and ships them to the teacher. A project gets funded only if the organizer is able to raise the full amount requested. If the project isn't fully funded, DonorsChoose notes it will repurpose the funds to another project or provide a refund if requested.

Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @RoryLinnane. 

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How to donate school supplies for Milwaukee students on DonorsChoose