ORLANDO, Fla. – Local 6 is partnering with "A Gift for Teaching" to accept donations to help teachers purchase back-to-school supplies for students who can't afford them.
[VIDEO: A Gift for Teaching and Local 6 team up]
More than 60 percent of the students in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties come from families that can't afford lunch, much less school supplies. Nearly 10,000 of these children are homeless, with the number increasing each year.
Many devoted teachers spend $500 to $1,000 of their own money to buy supplies for their students and classrooms. To learn, students need supplies, and teachers need the tools to teach the future of Central Florida.
Local 6 will host a phone bank Thursday from 5 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. To donate, call 888-436-6665.
Viewers who donate $50 or more will be entered into a special drawing to win the "WKMG Experience." The winner and up to three guests will get a personal tour of the station, which just completed a 14-month renovation. They will also be a guest on set during a broadcast of Local 6 News at Noon and will have lunch with some of the WKMG talent.
Since 1998, "A Gift for Teaching" has distributed more than $90 million supplies, including basic school supplies, books, art supplies, hygiene item and in some cases clothing. The organization has hosted 231,000 teacher visits to its free store.
The top 5 needs to stock the shelves for the school year are:
- Loose leaf paper packs (Goal: 30,000 packs)
- 24-count crayons (Goal: 30,000 packs)
- 8-count marker packages (Goal: 24,000 packs)
- Glue sticks (Goal: 33,000 individual)
- 12-count packages of colored pencils (Goal: 27,500 packs)
Did you know?
- For every $1 received at AGFT, we can provide up to $10 worth of school supplies that go back into the classroom and into the hands of students in need.
- $1,000 can provide 5,000 children with a pack of loose leaf paper.
- $500 can provide more than 45,000 children with a pencil.
- $250 can provide more than 1,000 children with a pack of crayons.
- $100 can provide 1,000 children with a glue stick.
- $50 can provide nearly 200 children with an 8-count marker package.
- $20 can provide more than 80 children with a 12-count pack of colored pencils.