Where To Donate Urgently-Needed School Supplies for Orange County

SCHOOLS

By Tyria McCray-Bourda
Correspondent

CHAPEL HILL–Orange County schools will resume on August 25, and there are still opportunities to donate much-needed school supplies. The Annual Teacher Supply Store, located at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Lincoln Center Offices (750 S. Merritt Mill Rd, Chapel Hill), is accepting donations until the end of August. It is open weekly from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is also available by appointment. Community members can drop off items such as dry-erase markers, tissues, disinfecting wipes, composition notebooks, markers, pencils, pens, chart paper, and sticky notes.

The need for supplies is amplified this year due to the number of families still displaced by Tropical Storm Chantal.

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation and the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club launched this initiative in 2007 to help reduce the amount of money teachers spend on classroom supplies. Since then, the Rotary Club has consistently raised about 85% of the funds needed to support the program.

“Fundraising by the East Chapel Hill Rotary and events like PSF’s Love and Roses Fundraiser provide the bulk of the funds that PSF uses to purchase school supplies for the store,” stated on the public school foundation website. “In addition, we are grateful for the many school supply donations we receive from community members and PSF partners like UNC Health and Staples.”

Over 1,200 educators serving more than 11,000 students in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools benefit from the supplies offered by the teacher supply store. Last year, over 1,000 teachers and instructional staff utilized the store, receiving more than $65,000 in supplies and gift cards. Since its establishment in 2007, the store has provided supplies worth over $650,000, a significant achievement made possible by the donations from our community.

The Diaper Bank of North Carolina

In addition to accepting donations of school supplies, another organization focused on community support collects a different type of donation. The Diaper Bank of North Carolina provides free hygiene and infant care products to families in need, including diapers, formula, period products, and adult incontinence products. To distribute these essential items, the Diaper Bank collaborates with various community organizations throughout Durham. The products are not distributed directly from the Diaper Bank warehouse.

The organization is dedicated to raising awareness and improving access to essential hygiene items. Its mission is to ensure that families with babies and children living in poverty have a sufficient supply of diapers. Additionally, the organization advocates for policy changes to include diapers and period products in the definition of basic needs.

Community members are encouraged to donate diapers, formula, and adult hygiene products at designated locations within the organization’s warehouse.

Locations in Orange County include:

Glee Kids
610 Market St, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
(In Southern Village)

Chapel Hill Children’s Clinic
301 Kildaire Road #200, Chapel Hill

The warehouse location is 437 Dimmocks Mill Rd. Suite # 1, Hillsborough, NC 27278

For more information on the Diaper Bank, visit https://www.ncdiaperbank.org/our-story or call (919) 886-8085.

Tyria McCray-Bourda is a story-driven journalist whose work has previously appeared in The Carolinian newspaper in Raleigh. Attaining a bachelor’s degree in communication from Southern New Hampshire University, she has the distinction of having interviewed President Joe Biden when he was a candidate on the campaign trail, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris. This reporter can be reached at: Information@TheLocalReporter.press