Teacher Store expands mobile delivery with new Hiawatha site

Prairie High School social studies teacher Paige Patterson said if not for the Teacher Store — a nonprofit that offers free school supplies to educators — she would be paying for some supplies out of her own pocket.

Patterson, who is in her 10th year of teaching, uses the Teacher Store two to three times a year to get items like tissues and disinfectant wipes and to stock her classroom with pencils, pens, index cards, notebooks and folders for students who need them.

Stocking school supplies helps “make the classroom more welcoming” and “equitable” for all students, Patterson said.

Over 90 percent of educators spend their own money on school supplies without reimbursement, averaging between $500 to $750 each school year, according to the National Education Association.

“As a former educator, that is truly the reality of what’s happening in classrooms,” said Lacey Becker, executive director of the Teacher Store. “Supplies may seem like a little thing, but they’re a big deal to educators and their students.”

So far in 2024, the Teacher Store has hosted 28 school visits with its mobile store, traveling about 572 miles across Eastern Iowa visiting elementary, middle and high schools. More than 1,100 educators have been served by the Teacher Store this year from 23 different school districts.

Teachers “purchase” supplies through Teacher Bucks, which they can earn in a variety of ways. Teacher Bucks have no monetary value.

Educators can earn Teacher Bucks by reading the Teacher Store’s quarterly newsletters, attending community events hosted by the Teacher Store or requesting a mobile visit to their school. As of November, the Teacher Store had given out $6,000 in Teacher Bucks this year.

“Our Teacher Bucks go further than regular dollars at the store. If they’re getting $5 in Teacher Bucks, that’s $10 worth of supplies,” Becker said.

The Teacher Store opened in 2009 to provide free classroom supplies to area K-12 educators, bridging the gap between what schools and families can provide and what is needed for students to be successful in their learning.

In June 2018, the Teacher Store — then located in downtown Cedar Rapids — was reinvented as a mobile store. For years, supplies have been brought from the Teacher Store directly to educators at their schools, making it easier for teachers to benefit from free supplies.

In August, the Teacher Store also expanded into a new space at 1125 Dina Ct. Ste B in Hiawatha. It does not have regular operating hours there, but plans to host events throughout the school year, especially in winter months when the mobile truck is in storage, Becker said.

The Teacher Store’s primary financial support is from Corda Credit Union. The store also relies on grant funding and donations — including money and supplies.

Becker, who began as executive director of the Teacher Store in June 2023, herself received supplies from the store during her decade-long career in the West Branch Community School District.

“It was a tough decision to leave the classroom, but now I get to serve more educators and students in a different way,” Becker said.

For more information, to sign up for the newsletter or to donate to the Teacher Store, visit teacherstore.org.

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