Throughout an average school year, teachers will spend at least $459 out of pocket for school supplies for their students. As schools around the country begin to reopen, or rethink opening plans, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, it is unknown how much teachers, who receive little funding and are rarely reimbursed, will have to spend on not only masks but safety materials as well.

Especially since President Trump and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos are demanding that schools reopen, the mystery of how schools will protect and guarantee the safety of their teachers remains a mystery. It is imperative, more than ever, that we support and donate to teachers as they are going back to school and teaching remotely in the Fall.

One such charity that is supporting teachers and students is Donors Choose, an organization that raises money to help classrooms in need so that students no matter the community can have a great education. Their coronavirus relief began in March and they are determined to support teachers and students more than ever. Through a survey of 4,000 teachers, 97% said that the pandemic would negatively impact their students’ learning, while 68% of students also lack the sufficient resources to learn from home. Donors Choose has created Distance Learning Projects so that teachers can shop for school supplies, food, and hygiene for their students. In addition, teachers can create their own fundraisers so that they can help pay for supplies without having to reach out of their pockets.

The Fund for Public Schools has created a COVID-19 Response Effort fund which people can donate to. In order to guarantee that over 1.1 million students have a close-to-exceptional school year, it is important that schools have the funds to ensure a safe and welcoming environment.

As the school year is quickly approaching, the need for money such as this becomes all the more necessary. By donating to the NYC School COVID-19 Response Effort, innovations and rapid solutions to this unprecedented event will be put in place to help schools directly. Some of the innovations put in place include “ensuring high quality teaching and learning, especially for vulnerable populations” (this includes providing access to technology and resources required for blended learning), ensuring all students in need can receive free meals, “supporting the most vulnerable populations by providing additional support,” and “providing college and career readiness”

On the West Coast, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Arizona’s largest brewery, launched Four Peaks for Teachers, an annual fundraiser to support teachers by providing them free kits of school supplies. In addition to donations, funds raised through beer sales will buy supplies like scissors, pencils, paper, and everything else students and teachers need for a successful teaching experience. This year, teachers are able to pick up supplies at about 20 locations within Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. Despite not being directly correlated with COVID-19, Four Peaks for Teachers allows for teachers to get the supplies they need when some school districts provide them little to nothing.

There are countless more charities and foundations directly related to providing teachers with the resources they need to teach during the pandemic at a local and state level. During these hard times, it reminds us how important our teachers are as they put their lives on the line to educate and inform the younger generations. Donating is imperative not only now, but even when the world is back to ‘normal.’ It is imperative to support our teachers because if we don’t support them, we can’t support our future generations to come.

The post How You Can Support Teachers going Back to School during the COVID-19 Pandemic first appeared on Four Peaks For Teachers.

Four Peaks Brewing Co., Arizona’s largest brewery, just announced the 2020 launch of Four Peaks For Teachers, the brewery’s annual fundraiser to support teachers by providing them with free kits full of school supplies.

Created in 2011 by Four Peaks cofounder Jim Scussel, Four Peaks For Teachers was conceived to help reduce the financial burden on teachers in the Southwest, many of whom spend hundreds of dollars on school supplies each year without reimbursement. Using direct donations and funds raised through beer sales, Four Peaks purchases the supplies teachers need most, from scissors and staplers to pencils and paper, and builds kits to hand out for free in multiple cities and states. This year, the brewery’s goal is to distribute 10,000 kits to teachers in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada.

“It’s humbling to see how Four Peaks For Teachers has grown to impact more and more teachers over the years,” Scussel said. “But it’s also frustrating that the financial burden on teachers only keeps growing. Teachers have one of the toughest and most important jobs in the country, and it’s hard to believe they’re asked to do that job without the supplies they need. They need support now more than ever.”

Starting in July, Four Peaks will set aside a portion of sales of its flagship Scottish ale, Kilt Lifter, for the Four Peaks for Teachers program. Customers located outside Four Peaks’ distribution footprint can also make a direct, tax-deductible donation to the program at fourpeaksforteachers.org. In August, the funds raised will be used to purchase, fill and distribute kits of school supplies to 10,000 teachers. The more Kilt Lifter sold and the more direct donations made, the more supplies that can be included in each kit.

After expanding Four Peaks For Teachers outside Arizona for the first time last year, Four Peaks has added even more kit pickup locations in 2020. Teachers will be able to pick up supplies in the following cities:

• Arizona: Flagstaff, Havasu, Kingman, Laveen Village, Litchfield Park, Marana, Mesa, Phoenix, Prescott Valley, Scottsdale, Sierra Vista, Tempe, Tucson, Yuma
• Nevada: Las Vegas
• New Mexico: Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Farmington, Santa Fe

Teachers interested in reserving a free school supply kit can do so at fourpeaksforteachers.org.

Jess Neill, a teacher and instructional coach for the Laveen Elementary School District, has participated in Four Peaks for Teachers since the program’s inception nine years ago. She says the program is vital — especially for new teachers.

“First-year teachers legitimately have nothing,” Neill said. “They don’t realize they need things like staplers, or scissors, and their school districts might not provide them.”

Part of why Four Peaks for Teachers is so great, she says, is because the kits that are donated come with those things young teachers assume they’re automatically given. And the costs of those items adds up. Neill says that she spent $1,000 on supplies during a nine-month period early in her teaching career, and though the school district she’s in currently is much better about providing equipment for teachers, she still spends hundreds of dollars a year on extra supplies for her students.

“In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need Four Peaks for Teachers,” said Neill. “But it’s good to know we have it.”

More information about Four Peaks For Teachers can be found at fourpeaksforteachers.org.

The post Cool philanthropy you should copy: Arizona’s Four Peaks Brewing is donating school supplies to 10,000 teachers this summer first appeared on Four Peaks For Teachers.

Teachers are often not given the budget money needed to supply their students with the tools to succeed in school. Thus, they are forced to buy many essentials out of pocket. It is reported that 94% of teachers spend their own money on supplies.

This is the brewery’s ninth annual Four Peaks for Teachers. This year, they are giving out 6,500 kits to teachers in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada. Four Peaks is extending their voucher pick-up period for kits until July 17. This is also the day they will begin to hand out their supplies to teachers.

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The post Four Peaks Brewing Co. providing school supplies to teachers in AZ first appeared on Four Peaks For Teachers.

Four Peaks Brewing Company has been putting on the event for nine years. The Tempe-based brewery teamed up with Treasures 4 Teachers, a donation-based supply store for teachers, with the goal to help instructors who regularly pay out of pocket for items in the classroom.

This year, organizers say they plan on giving out 6,500 kits to teachers, more than ever before. For the first time, the fundraiser is expanding beyond Arizona to help teachers in New Mexico and Nevada, as well.

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The post Teachers can get FREE school supplies through Four Peaks for Teachers fundraiser first appeared on Four Peaks For Teachers.