The Tools 4 Teachers office and inventory is located at the back of the Arc of Hanover Thrift Store, located at 10193 Washington Highway, Glen Allen and has been expanding since the store’s official opening in July with an influx of donated school supplies.

The Tools 4 Teacher store is gearing up for its second school year with exciting plans underway to expand the program’s reach into Hanover County Public Schools (HCPS).

The store was born last fall from a community partnership between Mechanicsville Churches Emergency Functions (MCEF), Ashland Christian Emergency Services (ACES) and HCPS to offer financial assistance to teachers in need of school supplies for students and classrooms.

The Tools 4 Teachers program delivers school supplies ordered by middle school teachers from September to April of the year.

Thanks to an outpour of community support and a recently-secured inventory space at the Arc of Hanover Thrift Store, the store has significantly grown since the start of 2022. With an abundance of donations waiting on the shelves and a refined program, the store is seeking to build its volunteer base to induce even greater change in the community and expand into HCPS high schools this year.

MCEF President Pat Hubert said they are running the program under a similar model to last year’s with various changes made to expand operations.

The ordering process opens up the 20th of each month and closes the last day of each month. Orders will be shipped out each month beginning in October and must be completed and delivered by the 10th of the month following the closing date.

This year, SignUpGenius will be utilized for monthly volunteer scheduling to enhance communication among volunteers and offer an easy-to-navigate platform. People will be able to sign up for a number of volunteer opportunities through SignUpGenius and select the length of the shift they prefer.

Around three volunteers are needed to pick, check and pack orders toward the beginning of each month, which typically takes about four hours depending on the number of orders. Since they are transitioning from semi-monthly shipping to monthly shipping this school year, the number of orders processed for one delivery may increase and additional time may be required.

Two to three volunteers will be needed during the month for a four-hour shift to tidy up the storeroom, identify items needing replenishment and prepare for the next delivery.

Two volunteers are needed one or two days a month to receive and inventory donations, place them on the shelves and enter the quantities into an Excel spreadsheet.

All work is performed in the back of the Arc of Hanover Thrift Store building, located at 10193 Washington Highway in Glen Allen.

Hubert said the biggest change from last year is the amount of donations pouring in from the community.

“This summer, we were kind of wondering… knowing what we have left over from last year what’s going to happen, because summer has just been wonderful,” Hubert said, particularly noting the “phenomenal” contributions of MCEF and ACES churches over the summer.

Ron Demilta, the store’s logistics manager and head volunteer, said they previously waited until all orders were submitted and then “scramble” to purchase any remaining items needed to fulfill requests through Amazon or other stores.

“Now with this inventory over the summer, we have enough probably to make one to two months deliveries with what we have on the shelf now,” Demilta said. He added this change also enhances the need for a larger volunteer base.

If the store succeeds in reaching the four HCPS high schools this year, available volunteer shifts will multiply with two sets of deliveries each month.

Demilta said the abundance of positive feedback received from educators reveal how essential the growing program is for teachers and students in the community.

“I could tell from the smiles on the staff’s faces and the notes from the teachers that they write themselves that the appreciation is immense,” Demilta said.

Anonymous notes of appreciation sent by teachers were on display during the Tools 4 Teachers store’s ribbon cutting ceremony on June 25.

“It was so exciting to receive a bag of supplies from you this morning! I know our students will benefit from this gift, but beyond the practical aspects, it energizes me to think that this is a community which is ready and eager to support its classrooms and teachers. Thank you most especially for that encouragement! Thank you for the Tools,” an anonymous note stated.

The program asks community members to consider donating the following school supplies to help decrease the personal investment teachers make every year: reams of colored card stock, colored pencils, black pens, red pens, expo markers, adult scissors, white index cards, colored index cards, stickie notes, boxes of tissues, labels, binders, magnets, magnet clips, colored duct tape, pencils, notebook paper, highlighters, markers, a bag with a variety of incentive items, colored construction paper, wall hanging putty, birthday certificates, accomplishment certificate, packs of glue sticks, reusable water bottles, large post it tablets, earbuds, subject notebooks, picture hangers, stress balls, cups, erasers, colored pencils, wooden toothpicks, scotch tape and dividers.

Item donations can be dropped off at either MCEF, located at 7235 Stonewall Parkway in Mechanicsville, or ACES, located at 507 Caroline Street # B in Ashland.

Monetary donations can be made on either the MCEF (https://www.4mcef.com/) or ACES (https://aceshanover.org/) websites. More information on the Tools 4 Teachers program can be found on both websites.

Those interested in volunteering for or donating to the Tools 4 Teachers store can visit either website for information, email Office@4MCEF.com, or call 804-365-4300 with any questions.

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The Tools 4 Teachers office and inventory is located at the back of the Arc of Hanover Thrift Store, located at 10193 Washington Highway, Glen Allen and has been expanding since the store’s official opening in July with an influx of donated school supplies.

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