Support Our Teachers: Turning Community Support Into Action
by Kelsey VanderWerf
If there is one thing I know from working in our schools, it is that teachers give an incredible amount of themselves to their students. That includes their time, their energy and, far too often, their own money.
Earlier this year, I saw the work United Way was doing in the Mason City area to collect supplies for local educators. It was such a simple, practical way for a community to support its schools, and I kept thinking, we can do that here.
So I brought the idea of a Teacher Essentials Supply Drive to the Floyd County Democrats with a simple goal: collect the things teachers are constantly buying for their classrooms and get those supplies directly into their hands.
We created a wish list of everyday classroom essentials and set up community collection points at Prologue Books & Wine and the Charles City Arts Center. We also accepted financial donations so we could purchase additional supplies and fill in the gaps.
And our community SHOWED UP.
As donations came in, I used the money we raised to shop for additional supplies and stretch every dollar as far as possible. I wanted the entire process to be intentional, from what we purchased to how we divided everything up. This was never about collecting a random mountain of school supplies. I wanted us to provide things teachers would actually use and distribute them in a way that allowed us to support as many educators as possible.
We then had members of the Floyd County Democrats gather at our office, spread everything out and turned the place into a teacher supply assembly line. We were able to fill 126 bags with at least a few desk essentials and snacks (which are super essential).
I spent the day visiting schools throughout the Charles City Community School District, delivering the bags we had packed and getting to personally thank some of the people who spend every day taking care of our kids.
Seeing all those bags lined up was pretty incredible because it meant CCMS, CCHS, Washington, Lincoln, AND IC Schools got a bag for every teacher, with a few left for a lucky number of support staff.
Someone bought markers. Someone donated a few dollars. Someone gave us a place to collect supplies. Someone showed up to help pack.
Put all those small acts together, and suddenly you have something capable of making a real impact.
This is the kind of work I want us doing in our community!
Politics cannot only be about what we say we value. At some point, those values have to leave the meeting room and turn into action.
For us, that meant rolling up our sleeves, filling a ridiculous number of little gift bags, loading up the car and getting those supplies where they belonged.
People over politics. Community over division. Action over words.
And this is only the beginning. My hope is that our Teacher Essentials Supply Drive continues to grow each year, reaching more teachers, bringing more of our community together and becoming something our local educators know they can count on when a new school year rolls around. Our next efforts are focused on our beloved janitorial, transportation, and support staff. We want to be certain every member of the CC school district staff feels seen.
To everyone who supported this project in any way, thank you. You made this happen.
And to our teachers, we see you. We appreciate you. And we hope those little bags made the beginning of your school year just a little bit easier. 💙
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