ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 A Central Florida nonprofit says its annual back-to-school campaign collected more than 741,550 school supplies and raised nearly $500,000 ahead of the 2026-2027 school year.<\/p>\n
A Gift for Teaching said its \u201cReady for Back-to-School\u201d campaign brought together businesses, volunteers and donors to support students and teachers in high-need public schools across Orange and Osceola counties.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery notebook and backpack tells a student that their education matters \u2014 and that their community believes in them,\u201d A Gift for Teaching President Jane Thompson said.<\/p>\n
30,000 backpacks packed for local students<\/p>\n
The campaign began in June with The Great Big Backpack Build, where 37 teams and more than 550 corporate volunteers packed 30,000 backpacks with school supplies.<\/p>\n
The backpacks were distributed to 120 Orange County public schools, along with schools in Osceola County, according to the organization.<\/p>\n
A Gift for Teaching said the event was supported by several community partners and included more than $389,000 in donated goods and services.<\/p>\n
More than 261,000 supplies collected over summer<\/p>\n
The campaign continued with the Supply Drive for Success, which collected more than 261,550 school supplies and raised more than $106,900.<\/p>\n
A Gift for Teaching said Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando were among the leading collection drives this year.<\/p>\n
The organization also held its first \u201cBig Supply Drop\u201d event for participating partners and received up to $40,000 in matching funds from several foundations.<\/p>\n
A Gift for Teaching says more than 70% of the public schools it serves are considered high-need.<\/p>\n
The nonprofit said it distributes about $94,680 worth of free educational resources each day during the school year.<\/p>\n
Since 1998, A Gift for Teaching says it has distributed more than $200 million in classroom resources, including pencils, books, backpacks, STEM materials, art supplies and hygiene items.<\/p>\n
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