Armed with the knowledge that the average PPS teacher spent upwards of $1000 out of their own pocket to purchase school supplies for their classrooms and students in need, Schoolhouse Supplies opened its doors in the year 2000, intent on collecting and providing free supplies to the public schools that needed it most. As volunteers signed up to help run it’s “free” store, Schoolhouse Supplies turned to the community for donations. Focusing their attention on businesses, the organization sought to provide a re-use program in which unwanted, surplus supplies could be recycled into the hands of school kids, rather than dumped in the lap of a landfill.

Run out of a building on the Madison High School campus in NE Portland, Schoolhouse Supplies now serves all 130 Portland Public Schools and has distributed over $7 million worth of school supplies since its inception. The program continues to rely on volunteer support for all sorts of help in its warehouse, including sorting and preparation of donated books and supplies for store display, and Hands On volunteers have considered it a favorite volunteer spot for years.

With two CommunityWorks projects occurring each month and a special Cares Day project coming up this Sat., October 6, you’ve got plenty of time to take part in this fun and impactful volunteer opportunity! Sign up for Cares Day: School Supplies for Kids through our website’s front page, or check out our CommunityWorks calendar for other up-coming opportunities. For more information about this award-winning program, check out their website: http://www.schoolhousesupplies.org/