Crayons To Computers

Crayons to Computers is a FREE teacher store where teachers can go shopping for everything for their classrooms. Personally as a teacher, I could not afford to supply my students with everything I want to to make the learning experience more beneficial for everyone. I teacher in an urban school and every time I show I take home no less than $ 1,000 worth of supplies each time I go. Now remember, these are all donated to Crayons so you cant go in with a defined list, but you always find the basics in addition to random treasures you have always wanted.
Teacher Store is open 4 to 7, make sure you volunteer to shop if you’re a teacher looking for some supplies for your classroom!
If your school does not qualify (the list can be found on their website) they you can sign up to Volunteer to shop, which means you go in to help stock or other random jobs and get a certificate to shop at a later date. You can also volunteer for a teacher and at the end of your shift, and coupon is gifted to a teacher of your choice which is a really an awesome gift.
From their website: «At Crayons to Computers we believe that every child deserves the quantity and quality of supplies needed to succeed in school. Founded in 1997, Crayons to Computers operates a free store for teachers from nearly 600 greater Cincinnati area schools in 16 counties (in Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Indiana), offering new and gently used school supplies, educational tools, and incentive items.
We offer a wide variety of materials that support learning including basic supplies like books, crayons, paper, scissors, and pencils as well as enrichment and incentive items that teachers can use to motivate and inspire student engagement. Product is donated or purchased at reduced or wholesale prices from partnering companies and organizations.»

Wow, way to go Crayons to Computers! I am not a teacher but I know how much money teachers pour into loving on their classrooms, many kiddos show up with nothing… C2C provides an awesome opportunity to serve the heros in the classrooms!
I stopped in after learning my new employer is a donor to this program so I wanted to check it out. Karen and the other staff/​volunteers were extremely excited to show me around and took a lot of pride into what they do for teachers and students. From the warehouse to their «store», everything was organized and very professional looking. They not only have items like crayons, pencils, scissors but what I was most impressed was their educational items created from donated products like lids, mechanical tubes, and even left over fabrics. C2C partners with programs that offer community service opportunities that in return make great learning tools for kiddos.
If you are a teacher, corporate donor, or even have some items you would like to donate I highly suggest checking out this place! They are really serving the community in HUGE ways!

Community service makes you feel good … a chance to give back and help out. It’s fantastic. But this … this is beyond feeling good. This is unbelievable.
About a decade ago, a few people realized there was a need in Cincinnati that wasn’t being met. Children throughout the area were going without proper supplies, tools, necessities like pencils or paper. Things you need to be able to be in school. Or teachers were spending hundreds of their own dollars to bring these items to their kids.
And so, Crayons for Computer was born.
Originally housed in the Freestore Foodbank warehouse, they quickly outgrew their surroundings and moved to their own building. This is a free store for teachers. They can come a few times a year and, as long as it fits in a shopping cart, they can take it with them for their class.
The front part of C2C is beautiful, well laid out and brightly colored. This is where teachers find the stuff to take with them to their classes. The back area is a giant warehouse filled with excess items. It’s all well laid out with a great filing system. This place is organized.
To be able to «shop,» you either have to be a teacher from an approved list of schools (the one that need it most) or volunteer at C2C. Many teachers not on the list do volunteer since there are items at C2C they can’t find anywhere else (great fun games, stickers, more.)
The name is a little misleading since they don’t actually deal with computers. They did at one point but no longer. Still, it’s cute all the same.
I was blown away by C2C. They do lunch and learns about once a month where you can come in, tour the facilities and learn more about what’s going on. I would take this for sure — you’ll be as amazed as I was.

Crayons to Computers (C2C) is a free store for teachers. C2C is the first free store for teachers in the country, C2C opened our doors February 1997 to 22 schools in the Cincinnati area and now serves 255 schools in 16 county area of Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Eastern Indiana.
Schools qualify to shop if they have a high percentage on the federal free or reduced lunch plan. The schools are divided up into a five week shopping schedule, Weeks A-​E and the teacher store is open M-​TH 2−6PM.
C2C also has an additional 250 schools where teachers volunteer to shop in the 16 county area.
Volunteers are the gluesticks to the organization, C2C has over 150 volunteers who help setup the store in the morning and help the teachers shop and check out their purchases in the afternoon.
C2C is celebrating our 15^th anniversary in February 2012.

C2C is an important, vital service helping bring resources to local schools and teachers. They accept donations from individuals, corporationss, etc. They welcome anything that can be used in a classroom or school. I’ve always found the crew there friendly and savvy, and teachers obviously enjoy the stuff.