Who is Eligible to Shop?

Full-time, certified K-12 instructional personnel with their own classrooms from eligible schools in Osceola County may shop at A Gift For Teaching, including classroom/general education teachers, media specialists, nurses, principals, assistant principals, and deans. At this time, custodians and administrative support staff such as administrative assistants, resource teachers, and paraprofessionals are not eligible to shop.

A Gift For Teaching has a strict NO GUEST policy.  Please plan accordingly as any guests will be required to wait outside of the store.  If you should require assistance to shop, please speak with the staff at the check-in desk.

Teachers

Wouldn’t it be nice if everything were free?  A Gift For Teaching is just that – free!
‍
Osceola County Teachers from eligible high-need schools can shop once a month at our free store.  We know buying school supplies can be a burden on teachers, and we aim to alleviate that.

For information on how to sign up, please refer to our Information and Sign up Guide
‍
Read our Shopping Guidelines prior to shopping, make sure you bring your school ID badge and reusable shopping bags.

Find out when we close in our holiday schedule.

Pencil Boy Express

Pencil Boy Express runs September through April of each school year. Eligible teachers will receive a notification via their @osceolaschools.net email address.

By The Numbers

• Low income families spend 40% of their monthly income in August on “back to school” costs alone.
• More than 76% of students cannot afford lunch, much less school supplies.
• More than 2,000 students in Osceola County are homeless.
• Some kids go to school without socks and shoes and do not own a toothbrush or even deodorant.
• Teachers spend an average of $500 out of their own pockets to help their students each year.
• Businesses search for positive outlets for usable, surplus products.

4 Simple Ways to Make A BIG Difference

• Donate supplies including leftover or surplus merchandise, slightly damaged product, promotional items, office supplies, used books, new toys, and so much more. List of products needed.
• Host a School Supply Drive at your place of work or affiliated organization by collecting the basic school supplies including pencils, paper, crayons, glue, pens and backpacks.
• Volunteer your time to help us inventory, sort, and stock donated product.  Volunteers are needed to assist teachers during shopping hours. Email Lisa Stroud at Lisa.Stroud@osceolaschools.net to set up a time to volunteer, or call 407-348-9204.
• Donate financially