by Shelley Kishpaugh

Created on: April 17, 2009

Finding free classroom supplies has nearly become a necessity in today's world. With funding cuts to schools and the economic recession affecting large amounts of our population, having money to purchase the basics for a classroom is becoming harder and harder. If, by chance, a teacher or student wants to utilize something beyond the basics, the opportunity for acquiring the supplies without out-of-pocket costs to the teacher is becoming more and more difficult.

Many people are beginning to lose faith in how money is being handled by school administrations. This is making it harder and harder to get funding to schools for supplies. Luckily, there are several organizations that specialize in getting donor money directly into the classroom, bypassing the school's administrations and creating a win-win situation for the generous folks who wish to help, along with aiding the children whose schools are in need.

Here are some of the websites that can help:

1. Donorschoose.org This website allows teachers to write a little blurb about what it is they are seeking and why. For instance, perhaps a teacher needs some books that are specifically meant to interest boy readers of a certain age. The website has a dollar amount posted that the request will cost. A donor pays the amount with his or her credit card, and the money goes to buy what the teacher needs. Each donor may browse through the site to find a cause that they most wish to fund.

2. Adoptaclassroom.com This website allows teachers to sign their classroom up, and then people may go to the site to make donations. Schools can then send home flyers, or post them in the community in order to let people know that the classroom is registered and ready for donations.

3. Kidsinneed.net This program puts boxes of school supplies into the hands of children who might not otherwise have the proper tools to do their class work. The website gives step-by-step instructions on how to solicit corporate sponsors for donations to the School Box program. The sponsor companies have their logos printed on the boxes that are filled with things such as paper, crayons, and pencils and for the children. They have three different box types, based on the age level of the child receiving it.

Occasionally, different school supply related websites or distributors of school supplies will have freebies for teachers. If you type "free classroom supplies" into a search engine, you may browse for any current giveaways. Finding these free things may be time-consuming, but it should be worth your time. Also, sometimes manufacturers of school supplies have free things to give to schools. You will want to search their websites, or even send them an email asking if they have anything they'd be able to send to your classroom. If you put a little time into the search, you should be able to find most of what you need for your classroom without having to spend too much of your own money to do it.

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