INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Rashia Whitlock Foundation is holding its annual Back to School Donation Drive to help teachers and students in the Indianapolis area.
Some supplies have already been donated, but there’s still a long way to go. August is just around the corner and teachers will begin adding to their room in the next couple of weeks.
Purdue Polytechnic High School North principal Keeanna Warren says in the past she’s spent $300 to $1,000 on school supplies for students. She says there are economic disparities between different parts of the city and some families have to choose between spending money on food or school supplies. This is why the donation drive is so important.
“I think people forget we’re parents, wives; we carry lots of different roles,” Warren. “We have needs of our own and needs for our own families. I believe teaching is one of the few professions where you have to pay to go to work. I’d love to see that change so that educators who are not highly paid compared to the level of college that it requires, so I think that would be meaningful for teachers to understand that their profession matters, what they do matters, and that they have a community around them that supports them. A lot of times we hear how much people love teachers, but this is a way to show how much you care and love them and appreciate what they do every day.”
Some of the supplies needed are pencils, black and blue pens, crayons, glue sticks, and various notebooks.
You can order supplies directly from Amazon and have them sent directly to the foundation headquarters at 10251 Hidden Meadow Lane.
You can drop off donations at the Unique Image Salon at 3150 N. Gladstone Avenue.
Donations are accepted through July 5.
The big donation event is at the Christamore House on July 10. Four hundred free backpacks and supplies will be donated.
