RAFT-Resource Area For Teaching

Amazing place! Great for teachers of all sorts! They have so much cool random and essential things for teachers. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. I love coming here and would spend at least an hour there, even when I am supposed to just grab a couple items off my list. I come here often and always find something useful or unique. The trainings are also amazing with knowledgable trainers! I love them all!
Membership is needed but it’s worth it! Membership is $ 40 but they have many promotions for $ 20 membership fee; along with a lot of great sales throughout the year. Plus the free stuff they have! I’ve scored free binders, maps, posters, paint, and much more! Their prices are very reasonable. You can find a variety of things here from art supplies, packaged activity kits, and lots of things to tinker with. If you have the ability to imagine and be resourceful, this is the perfect place for you. They also give you free resources to help. It’s even free on their website. I love that we are recycling these things and it’s just not going to waste. Only downside is their kits have become more expensive, wish it was the prices a couple years back. I’m not as able to purchase as many anymore.

HUGE selection of supplies and super friendly staff and volunteers! Also, there’s ways around the membership fee, or you can get it fairly cheap.***
I was just introduced to this place by some friends, so I was able to check it out by being one of their guests.
They have little packs of 5 dry erase markers for just $ 1! That’s such a steal and perfect for my tutoring center that goes through these markers like popcorn. I also bought some cleaner for just $ 1.50. I paid a grand total of $ 5 for supplies that should last me a year!
Outside, they have a ton of great furniture. I was extremely tempted to buy one of their huge whiteboards (ONLY $ 20!), but I didn’t really have space to take it home. :/​
***With regard to their membership fees, it seems like they have sales every once in a while. For example, if you come with a friend in August, you can each get a membership for $ 20. If you’re a student or intern teacher, I heard that you can get a membership for $ 15 – 20 if you can show proof of your status. Or like I did on my first visit, you can find a friend to bring you in as a guest. (I don’t know the official policy, but I just gave my friend cash for my items.)
This place is totally worth the membership fee. I just wished it was closer, but now I guess I have an excuse to come out and visit my south bay friends every once in a while!

They charge a membership fee, are rude, are unwilling to help, and are filled with junk that they try to pass as treasure. Sure there is some good stuff there, but overall, I felt as if I was walking through a junk yard of office supplies. I will never waste my time, gas, or money at this wear house filled with junk. I went on the weekend with my kids in tow and they rudely told me kids are not allowed except on Thursdays. So I guess children behave well only on Thursdays!?! I would give them no stars if possible.

I love RAFT! It is a MUST shop here destination for all teachers — tons of unusual supplies to be used in the classroom — and so dang cheap! They offer kits, some that are only pennies per child, created by actual teachers focusing on content areas. For instance, one kit supplied each child with a mini seed germination device made from CD cases! I love using their laminating machine too. Companies donate their unused merchandise to RAFT so a teacher might find different bins at each visit. My creative edge always sharpens after shopping at RAFT.

CHILDREN NOT ALLOWED?! Nothing said about it on their site. That’s so so nice to find this out at the entrance

Raft is incredible! The workshops are relevant and fun. The supplies are inexpensive. I love it!
It’s a must stop for any elementary teacher or science or math specialist. They have prepackaged activities that are good for an entire classroom, and it’s so cheap the kids can take the activist home with them!

I am sure Raft offers good resources, but discovered children are not welcomed in their establishment. I have verified this fact through two emails and I have been told that no children under 12 are permitted not even a 15 month in a stroller. This is a appalling for a company who prides itself in education. I sure hope they reconsider this policy.

I was very disappointed and it’s really for one reason. The membership few. I’ve been to RAFT once before at the beginning of the school year and no one asked me for a membership card. But today when I came back they would not let me make my purchases without first purchasing a membership. I understand that might be how they make the bulk of their money but PLEASE… WE’RE BROKE TEACHERS! I’m not going to spend $ 40 on a membership that will be used to purchase a $ 3 paper organizer! I might as well buy a nice one at Staples for that price. The one thing I do have to say I was very pleased with was the bins of free used 3-​ring binders that they had outside the store. That was actually one of the items that I had come looking for so it was like hitting the jackpot for me! I loaded up my car with 60 binders (one for each of my 1^st graders) and I was on my way! No membership needed for free items outside of the store!

I’ve volunteered at RAFT since August 2014. I am continually amazed at the dedication, compassion, and creativity of the staff and volunteers here. RAFT has traditional and unique teaching supplies available for a fraction of the cost these items would be elsewhere. RAFT also has hundreds of idea sheets accessible online to educators and offers workshops throughout the year.
This is a great resource not just for teachers, but for individuals involved with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, summer camps, after school programs, adult education programs, and more. I highly encourage educators to explore the website and/​or become a member! I also would encourage those who are not currently educators to seek out a volunteer opportunity at RAFT. My experience has been incredibly rewarding and has enriched my own education significantly.

There is nothing like RAFT! I love browsing all of the great «junk» and enjoying the creative juices that flow when given the opportunity to consider my options. As a preschool teacher, there is a great kit to use with my students. I also find that the die-​cuts are very useful for a small school like mine that does not have that resource. For teachers that find themselves spending their own cash on materials, this is a great place to buy bundles without breaking the bank.

Lots of resources for elementary school teachers. Not a lot for the high school realm though. It is a cool experience none the less.
Being a high school history teacher, I was disappointed. I wish there had been more notebooks and binders. Those two items are really important to any high school teacher. There were not any notebooks to be had.
What I did like was all the ideas for arts and crafts and science projects. Those would have been a great resource for any elementary school teacher. There are a lot of a little items for counting that would be great for elementary school teachers as well.
What was cool was the fact that they had coffee and food for anyone shopping. They also had a raffle for gift card.
Overall, it was nice but I probably wont go back. Meaning I wouldn’t buy a membership. Oh yeah, you have to buy a membership to shop there. $ 30/​year

I LOVE this place, it is a teacher’s dream (at least for me). For $ 30 a year you can have access to recycled materials to use in fun and creative ways in your classroom. RAFT gets materials donated from companies and then thinks creatively how to use those materials as manipulative for math, science, etc. They also have furniture and supplies for very cheap. I have been a RAFT member for over four years and it is my go-​place to shop. Most times I do not know what I am looking for, but just by browsing I can come up with different uses for lots of different items.
RAFT also has workshops for teachers — I have never been to a workshop BUT I have had several friends tell me that they enjoyed them. My class was kind enough to get me a gift card to RAFT as a present and it has lasted me all year. I was able to build my entire classroom library with RAFT. I know that teachers are always spending their own money on classroom supplies, RAFT is an alternative to spending so much. Inventory changes all the time so you want to but something if you see something you like. They also have a green room which lets you laminate, use die cuts, etc. Most of it for free.
The staff is very courteous and friendly. They have high school and adult volunteers to help you find items. I would recommend any teacher who had not heard of RAFT (or has not been) to come check it out.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE RAFT.
The first time I went to RAFT it was like the Disneyland of arts and crafts; it was my dream come true and I was like a kid in a candy store. Such a wide variety of supplies, new and used, standard and unorthodox. There’s always something new and unusual to discover, a place filled with inspiration and ideas.
The die cut station is a dream, the craft samples are great, and the bulk items are perfect for teachers. Not to mention the discounted prices!
I would’ve given them 5 stars if it were not for particular instances with the staff. While they are most helpful for the most part, they did tell me that I could create an account for my org as a whole so that each member could have a card. I returned later to find out that I couldn’t do that? I don’t know. They also do not consistently make sure that you scan in when you enter. In addition, I also do not like the fact that if my name is not on the membership card that I cannot use my debit/​credit card to pay for the items. This can be a hassle at times..

Glad I found this little gem for all my teaching and crafting supplies! Everything here is reasonably priced if not cheaper and you can get so many great ideas here. They have pre-​packaged learning/​crafting kits that are generally geared towards some type of learning (math, science, etc).
My favorite has to be the Green Room though. You can go in there and make use of the die cuts which is amazing because that just allows for endless crafting possibilities! I went here to get some ideas for valentines day and they had put out a bunch of little sample valentines projects out. I saw one that was like a fold-​up valentine heart book and it was simply precious! Best part about it? They have instructions printed out for you to take AND I don’t even have to cut all the little hearts out by hand because they have a die I can use to just cut them all out at once! AMAZING! Where has this room been all my life because I’ve been cutting out little projects for my kids since forever and this would have saved me so much time, sleep, and scissor-​cramps!
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Shopping experience aside, because the staff is usually very nice and helpful — my volunteering experience here wasn’t as amazing. They seem to be somewhat cranky towards volunteers and it actually feels like you’re more of a hassle than a help. My first time volunteering here was actually due to a mistake in scheduling at the Sunnyvale location. They directed us here instead and the lady who was in charge seemed pretty annoyed that we were there. I thought, «oh maybe it’s because she wasn’t ready for us, that’s why.»
But even then, my following visits to volunteer were the same. Our presence seems to be somewhat of a nuisance because whenever I asked what i can help with, their response is usually something like, «umm… well… can you just straighten up those boxes over there?» or «I guess you can just rip out these sheets of stickers???» I was more looking forward to putting together learning kits like I did at the Sunnyvale location or help with stocking, but they pretty much take care of that themselves. Oh well. If I volunteer again for RAFT, it’ll probably be at the Sunnyvale one since Chris is really nice and the work seems to be a bit more interesting there.

RAFT rudely refused to honor an advertized price
I usually love RAFT and they do a lot of good for educators. But recently I had a very bad experience. I waited several hours in the cold outside of the store for a big sale. A product was advertised at $ 15 but I was told upon finally getting to the counter two hours later that this price was typo and they would not honor it. Not only that, but this refusal was done in a way that was beyond rude.
To RAFT’s credit, when I emailed the store manager he agreed the employee’s actions were inappropriate and said he dealt with it. However they still refused to honor the price. Whether or not it was a typo, I thought it was was the price and waited 2 hours for it. I’m really disappointed in RAFT’s handling of this situation.

I first found out about RAFT during the 2007 holiday drive; I had every Starbucks store in the district collect books for this non-​profit organization. When I was employed for a networking company: Extreme Networks, I was part of the Community Involvement team that held events every quarter and that was when I knew more about RAFT and how they are registered as a 501©(3) organization.
As many of you are aware, school programs are constantly being cut, teachers being laid off and/​or being paid minimally (and they shout out the cost for their kids) so it’s organizations like RAFT that assists in enriching the minds of children in classrooms, after school, boys and girls scouts by providing lower costs resources for our teachers.
RAFT partners up w/​: The Exploritorium, San Jose State University, Santa Clara County Office of Education, The Tech Museum, YMCA. to name a few. There are many ways to contribute: volunteer your time, cash donations, and material donations.
Link:
When I was laid off in 2008, I went back to school and started to volunteer in my daughter’s classroom. It was then that I got to see first-​hand what her teacher did for her students. When you have 20+ students, buying supplies such as arts and crafts and whatnot gets really expensive. We live in Silicon Valley where everything is costly.
I buy a lot of books– both new and used for my daughter and for myself. There are a lot of them that I am not willing to let go but my daughter was able to donate her books last weekend so that’s what I did on a stormy Sunday afternoon. Yes, the day before Christmas Eve. The storm was so horrible! I drove by and dropped off the goods and went on my merry way.
Every little bit helps.
If you are active in this area, participate in Unilocal Helps 2013. I am.

Obviously a great resource for teachers. As a teacher candidate in the SJSU science education program, I got to go on a field trip here. We took a tour of the facilities. An annual membership is necessary to purchase anything here.
I also recently donated some things to RAFT. Donations are taken at the small door on the left side of the building (straight ahead when you enter the parking lot). You just bring your things inside. Staff will help you if you need help carrying things. You’ll be asked to type in your name and information, and they’ll print a form letter for tax purposes, indicating that you made a donation. Pretty simple.

RAFT is fantastic and exactly as it sounds — Resource Area for Teachers.
Poster boards, plastic stuff, stickers, fabrics, etc. I wander through here once in a while, look at available inventory and try to come up with new labs to use it. It’s a great place, always has been. I’ll continue to return for the remainder of my career.

This place became heaven for me since I met my fiancé. She is a teacher and she would always take me here when I or she needs something.
I’m a tech guy and I love computer stuff. They have a technology department with new stuff all the time. Most of their computers and equipment are not up to date with new technology but the prices are so reasonable. Some items are even better then the Black Friday sales! I bought a few older PC’s and servers here and they work perfectly fine with no issues. The guy that runs the technology department builds the computers himself and he’s always helpful. They got all types of computer cables, LCD monitors, tech books, keyboards, mouse, etc., You might even get lucky finding your laser printer cartridges here. Those things are expensive but Raft offer them like 80% off!
Anyways, I recommend all teachers and tech people to come here for their goods.

I’ve given volunteered work several times for RAFT through Hands On Bay Area (HOBA) and every event afterwards made me feel good. I particularly love the sorting of books event. I’ve never seen that many books in my entire life until then. Being able to finish several boxes gave me that certain «high» for accomplishing something.
It’s been a while since I’ve volunteered with HOBA and RAFT for my schedule is quite hectic nowadays. But this is something I’d never say no to when my schedule permits. They have a good cause and it is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life = being a part of their good cause.