Classroom Central

The mission of cc is to foster equity in education by providing teachers and students with the free resources they need to succeed. We accomplish this by distributing free school supplies and other educational materials through four programs: free store, mobile free store, online ordering with curbside pick-up, subscriptions service (beginning teachers) and backpacks and basics (our only direct-to-schools initiative). Teachers and other school personnel in qualifying high-needs schools as defined by the national school lunch program, may "shop" for free supplies throughout the academic year. All materials distributed are used to create inviting learning environments, and to support the academic and personal growth of low-socioeconomic students. The free store program is open weekly throughout the school year for teacher shopping. Our mobile free store travels once per week and visits districts served (currently six school districts to include charlotte mecklenburg, kannapolis city, iredell-statesville, union county, gaston county in nc as well as lancaster county schools in sc) and works on a six-week rotation throughout the academic year to ensure that teachers furthest from our free store may receive ample supplies and resources. Our online ordering with curbside pick-up program was launched during the covid-19 pandemic as a way to ensure teachers and students were able to receive needed supplies safely and efficiently. The program was so popular that it has been incorporated as a permanent part of our operations. Teachers place an order online via the Classroom Central website, orders are packed by volunteers and are available to be picked up through a drive-thru system. Our subscription service provides free school supplies to first-year teachers in eligible charlotte-mecklenburg schools. Each quarter, supplies are shipped directly to the first-year teachers. Finally, backpacks and basics engages donors to offset the cost of providing a new backpack filled with basic school supplies for students attending the highest needs schools within our service area. Classroom Central has distributed more than 80 million in supplies and resources since opening in 2002.