Our Elmer’s #BagItForward School Supplies Donation Mission

It’s that time of year again – the time when some parents are counting down the days until school starts and others are wishing with all their hearts they could put the breaks on summer PRONTO. I happen to fall in the latter of those categories because I love summer and I really don’t want the drudge of the school year to begin again already. But that’s just me. And my own thoughts on that are just about the school work itself. Put me in a room with brand new school supplies and I’m in Heaven. And school supplies on sale? YES, PLEASE!

But just as I know how much I and my own kids love fresh new supplies, I’m also very aware of how many kids aren’t in the position to get any. And I’m also aware of how many educators out there are forced to use their own limited means to supplement their classroom resources – educators who also have their own children to provide supplies for. Yes, this wonderful time of the year can be downright expensive and discouraging for many.

We recently participated in the Elmer’s #BagItForward mission and pulled together some school supplies for a teacher we know and love who fits this category perfectly. She’s a great teacher. I know she uses her own resources for the classroom and she has four children of her own to provide for. We decided to give her a little surprise.

Here you can see a standard pink crate filled with various items. Some items I KNOW will come in handy in the classroom and some are novelties that I just think would be fun to have on hand. That’s the way I roll.

You can see our entire shopping experience through this Google+ photo album right here. I also came up with my top ten list of back to school necessities which you can see right here.

We then went home and made a cute cover for that pink crate and put the supplies in it. Much nicer than handing over a plastic shopping bag filled with stuff. Though please note – presentation isn’t everything in this case – the DONATION is. If you don’t have time to cute-si-fy your donation, don’t let that stop you from participating. Kids in need and teachers are more than happy to accept your gift in a shopping bag. Trust me.

But I had time, so here’s the finished product:

We had fun delivering the surprise to our designated teacher today, too!

In addition to being a blessing to someone else, you can partake of the fun yourself by downloading the Elmer’s 1st Day App. This app is a fun way to help parents celebrate the first day of school. You can snap photos with the app and turn them into treasured memories from the first day of school. AND, for every photo uploaded through the app, Elmer’s will donate one product to The Kids in Need Foundation, for a total of 200,000 items. Wowza! There are a lot of fun things you can do with the app and the 1st Day website, so be sure to check those out. And while you are there be sure to enter for your chance to win a trip for four to Disney World, courtesy of X-Acto Designer Series and Walmart! The entry form can be found on the 1st Day App site!

For more information on the #BagItForward campaign and Elmer’s, be sure to check out the following links:

• BagItForward.org
• Elmer’s on Facebook
• Elmer’s on Twitter
• Bag It Forward on Pinterest
• 1st Day App download

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™and Elmer’s. #BagItForward #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions expressed in this post really are my own honest thoughts. I keep a proper disclosure statement available here.

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Tagged as: "Quality School Supplies", Back To School, Bag It Forward, Donation, Elmers, Walmart