INDIANAPOLIS — A new Teachers' Treasures location will open on the campus of North Central High School in April, making it easier for Washington Township educators to access free classroom supplies without spending their own money.
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The nonprofit organization serves about 5,000 Marion County educators from 270 different schools, with a majority of their students on free or reduced lunch.
Teachers' Treasures operates out of a former Kroger store in the Woodruff Place neighborhood and has a second location at Northwest Middle School.
"The average teacher spends about $500 to $1,000 a year out of their own pocket," said Emily Kaiser, Washington Township Schools Foundation Executive Director.
Graham Collins, World Language department chair at North Central High School, knows that struggle firsthand.
"Before I had access to Teacher's Treasures, I would have to use a lot of my own funds to get the supplies for the different projects and activities for my classes," Collins said.
The new North Central location addresses accessibility concerns for teachers who couldn't easily travel to existing sites.
"A lot of teachers that have small children at home are not able to go all that distance," Collins said.
Margaret Sheehan, Teachers' Treasures Executive Director, said the organization's mission is simple.
"We're able to say to the teachers, 'Don't worry about this. We got you,'" Sheehan said. "These teachers are doing the work that we need them to do, right? And we also want to take care of those kids. So this is very simple at its core."
The Washington Township Schools Foundation has a donor providing memberships for all district faculty members, removing financial barriers for teachers.
"Our goal is really barrier removal, and I view this at the core of what we're doing is we're removing barriers for our teachers," Kaiser said.
The partnership has delivered significant impact over time.
"Over the last decade, this partnership has brought over $1.5 million worth of school supplies to our teachers and students at absolutely no cost to them, and I don't think that the impact of that can be overstated," Kaiser said.
The shelves at Teachers' Treasures locations overflow with pencils, notebooks and even personal hygiene items. Marion County teachers must register with Teachers' Treasures to shop at any location.
Official shopping begins at the North Central location on April 7. Last year, the organization gave away nearly $11 million worth of free school supplies.
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