Imagine a warehouse full of teaching supplies where teachers are invited four times a year to stock up on materials, much like the show Supermarket Sweep. The Teacher Supply Depot for Anderson County & Clinton City Schools does just that—allowing those educators from Anderson County and Clinton City schools the opportunity to lessen the burden on their own wallets and gather much needed classroom materials throughout the year. In order to keep their warehouse full of materials, the supply depot relies on donations. In early 2021, ORAU made the decision to vacate two of its original buildings located on the Oak Ridge, Tenn., campus leaving a plethora of unused office supplies, furniture and other materials.
Working with the supply depot, ORAU was able to donate more than 30 large boxes of miscellaneous supplies such as staplers, pens, paperclips, tape and much more to assist area teachers in outfitting their classrooms.
“It is this type of large-scale donation that helps keep the Teacher Supply Depot for Anderson County & Clinton City Schools in business,” said Scott Bacon, who helped start the depot more than five years ago. “We rely heavily on donations to help our local teachers stay stocked with supplies and limit their out of pocket expenses.”
Along with the miscellaneous supplies, ORAU donated 38 whiteboards, 24 corkboards and nine glass display cabinets.
“Once ORAU employees vacated the two buildings, we were left with more than four rooms of supplies and materials tagged for donation,” said Chad Becker, ORAU facilities director. “It’s nice to be able to give back to and support the community of which ORAU has been a part for more than 70 years.”
All items were taken to the supply depot warehouse and will be available to teachers during one of the open shopping events this summer.