RALEIGH — North Carolina’s annual Governor’s School Supply Drive will collect classroom materials from June 29 through July 31, with donation boxes placed at all 275 State Employees’ Credit Union branches.
Gov. Josh Stein and Department of Revenue Secretary McKinley Wooten Jr. celebrated the kickoff Monday at SECU’s Salisbury Street office in Raleigh, according to the Governor’s Office. Wooten represented Stein at the event, joining educators, advocates and community partners.
The Governor’s Office said the drive is designed to help provide supplies to local classrooms and reduce the amount educators spend out of pocket for basic classroom materials.
“Students learn better in a classroom that is equipped with the tools they need to succeed,” Stein said in the release. “By donating supplies, we can provide foundational materials that will help set our kids up for another successful school year and relieve teachers of that burden.”
Wooten said contributions to the drive support students, educators and communities.
“When we invest in students, we invest in our communities, our workforce, and our future,” Wooten said. “Every contribution, no matter the size, sends a powerful message of commitment and support to the educators and children of our great state.”
This is the eighth year the Governor’s Office has held the school supply drive. In addition to SECU branch collection boxes, the Governor’s Office and cabinet agencies will collect donations during the effort.
The drive is being held in partnership with SECU, the North Carolina Parent Teacher Association, Boys & Girls Clubs of North Carolina and Communities in Schools of North Carolina. The Governor’s Office said donated supplies will go to students in need across the state.
Requested items include paper, pens, pencils, crayons, markers, dry erase markers, fidget toys, headphones, spiral notebooks, sanitizing wipes and tissues.
The Governor’s Office also linked the supply drive to Stein’s broader education budget proposal, including a proposed $300 tax-deductible supply stipend for teachers and restoration of a back-to-school sales tax holiday. Those proposals remain part of the governor’s recommended budget and are not enacted through the supply drive announcement.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.