To learn more about Kids in Need, go to www.acfb.org
To learn more about Yoobi School Supplies, go to www.yoobi.com
An integral part to a child’s success in school is to make sure they have proper classroom supplies. As the Atlanta Community Food Bank works to end hunger in the city, it realized that parents who struggle to put food on the table would also not be able to provide school supplies for their children.
So in 2000, it launched Kids in Need, a year-round free store for educators in low-income schools in the Atlanta region that allows them to shop for needed supplies.
“KIN distributes school supplies to teachers from over 270 public schools in 17 metro Atlanta school districts,” said Barbara Overton, senior manager of KIN programs. The schools are identified where 80 percent or more of the student population participate in the federal free and reduced lunch program.
On Nov. 21, to keep KIN’s work going, Yoobi, a school supply company, donated classroom packs to Norton Park Elementary School in Smyrna. The Yoobi classroom packs contained hundreds of the essential tools kids need to learn - everything from pencils, markers, and notebooks to scissors, pencil cases, and glue.
“Too many kids in too many zip codes have little to no access to the fundamental tools they need to learn effectively, and too many teachers are spending money out of their own pockets to bridge the gap,” said Ido Leffler, founder of Yoobi. According to the National School Supply and Equipment Association, a teacher spends an average of $485 per year out of his or her own pocket for school supplies.
The school supply company made it a mission to bridge the gap in schools, by donating a product to a US classroom when one is purchased. By the end of the 2015 school year, Yoobi aims to donate 30,000 classroom packs to schools in need across the U.S. has donated over 5,800 classroom packs to schools in Georgia alone.
Yoobi’s classroom donation helped over 900 kids at Norton Park Elementary, but Kids in Need’s store is the main source of helping Atlanta children and teachers succeed. “Adults, kids, college students, and groups can help KIN by volunteering their time by restocking, assisting teachers or sorting donations,” said Overton. “Another way to support KIN is by donating school supplies to help empower our classrooms.”
In this academic year alone, KIN has seen over 4,000 teachers and distributed over 370,000 pounds of product helping almost 119,000 students.
“To be a resource for teachers to provide much needed supplies for students who are in need gives KIN an opportunity each day to make a difference,” said Overton.
In other news: Asbury Automotive Group, a family of 80 dealerships throughout the U.S. including the Nalley Automotive Group in greater Atlanta, hosted its annual Nalley Customer Classic at the Tournament Players Club at Sugarloaf Country Club. Asbury donated $30,000 to Nobis Works' job training and placement programs for youth and adults with disabilities and other barriers to employment.
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