Communities raise over $46K in cash, supplies during 2025 Share Your School Supplies for teachers

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The community has once again shown that it supports its teachers like no other through the 2025 Share Your School Supplies Drive, benefiting the Houston Food Bank's School Programs.

It's not too late to pitch in. You can fulfill the food bank's Amazon wish list here, text "SYSS2025" to 71777, or give online.

WATCH: Sights and sounds from Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center in Spring

"If you want to be educated right, you need the right resources." Here's how the community stepped up for teachers in Spring during Share Your School Supplies.

Together we've raised $46,759.81 in cash and school supply donations in Houston, Galveston, Richmond/Rosenberg, Spring and Sugar Land. Not to mention, some locations filled two school buses worth of supplies.

Galveston was one of them thanks to firefighters who answered beyond the call of duty.

"We're going to be giving away $2,000 over the year. Our charitable foundation, we get together to raise funds in different outlets, to give back to the community in different ways," said Rob Garcia with the Galveston Firefighters Association. "As firefighters, our job goes beyond responding to emergencies. We believe that we have to give back to our educators, our stations, and other organizations that helped build the community the way it is."

Volunteers of all ages and across the city also recognized just how large of an impact these school supplies can make.

"I think it's really important to be donating school supplies because if you want to be educated right, you need the right resources to be going to school every day, going to college every day," one Texas A&M University student helping at the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center in Spring told ABC13.

Volunteers with the Ismaili Jamatkhana in Beaumont also chipped in, putting together a truck of supplies.

WATCH: Sights and sounds from Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center in Sugar Land

Sugar Land was one of five areas where the community showed up and showed out to make sure area teachers have what they need.

Once again, everything stays local for teachers in our region.

For example, in Rosenberg, much will be staying in Lamar CISD.

"We all know that our students are our most precious commodity, and our teachers speak life into our young people so this tremendously helps," Lamar CISD superintendent Dr. Roosevelt Nivens told ABC13's Nick Natario. "We may have a child that may come and needs some supplies, and it'll be there for them, so it just helps us to continue to help our young people."

Nivens said that with a ban now on digital devices, some of the most-needed supplies included pens and paper as well as hand sanitizer, folders, and tissue.

WATCH: Sights and sounds from VFW Hall Post 3903 in Rosenberg

Here's how the community helped teachers, who speak life into the students they teach.

Now in its second year, the 2025 drive, sponsored by Amazon and Terry Bryant, featured Eyewitness News anchors and reporters going live across southeast Texas from multiple school supply collection sites on Friday, Aug. 8.

"Our employees are passionate about education, and anything we can do to support students and teachers in our community, we want to be able to do, so here they are handing out school supplies and wanting to be engaged in this event," said Vickie Yakunin, head of community engagement at Amazon.

Volunteers from both Amazon and Terry Bryant helped hand out supplies to teachers at the Houston Food Bank.

"I don't think people really recognize how many students just don't have pens and pencils. They need the notebooks, they need other material so they can really get off to a good school start," said Terry Bryant spokesman and former ABC13 anchor Art Rascon. "This helps build the confidence as well in the children, so we're trying to alleviate that sacrifice from teachers who are pulling out of their own pockets to do so."

"We want to be there for the children to help instead," Rascon added.

WATCH: Sights and sounds from Galveston ISD Support Center in Galveston

Firefighters went beyond responding to emergencies to help out teachers in Galveston.

In 2024, we united as a community to raise nearly $30,000 in cash and individual school supply donations.

The drive this year came at yet another critical time. The food bank said it's facing $11 million in cuts in federal funding, also telling ABC13 the loss significantly impacts how it can help those in need.

The food bank said that, on average, teachers spent $800 - $1,000 of their own money on school supplies in Fiscal Year '24.

Find the full list of needed school supplies and benefiting school districts by visiting this page or at the bottom of this page.

ABC13's Share Your School Supplies 2025 returns for a second year on Aug. 8 in hopes of raising even more money for teachers, and therefore, students.

Who does the drive benefit?

The drive benefits the Houston Food Bank's School Programs, which provide resources for teachers in low-income schools.

According to the food bank, teachers are eligible to receive help if they're in urban schools in which 90% of students are on free or reduced-price lunch or teachers in rural schools in which 70% of students are on free or reduced-price lunch and who participate in Houston Food Bank's Backpack Buddy Program or School Market Program.

How great is the need?

According to the National Education Association, the largest teacher's union, over 90% of teachers spend their own money on school supplies.

In 2023, educators in Texas spent nearly $300 million of their own money for pencils, folders, notebook paper and other tools their students need to succeed.

Some families are also struggling to provide school supplies for their children. The Kids in Need Foundation's 2023-2024 Impact Report found that 62% of students arrive without the necessary supplies on their first day; 62% of students did not have access to necessary supplies at home and 69% of students did not have second semester replacement supplies.

A 2022 CNN Business report further breaks down the sharp increase in supply costs:

• All varieties of 3M's Scotch - branded tape surged in price nearly 70% in 2022 compared to 2021

• Sharpies and Elmer's Glue were up nearly 55% and 30% respectively in 2022

• Shoppers were also paying about 12% more for BIC pens

Meanwhile, Adopt A Classroom's Spring 2025 survey found that teacher spending out of pocket is still high at $895 during the 2024-2025 school year. Teacher out-of-pocket spending has also increased 49% since 2015.

Twenty percent of teachers also reported working a second job -- a number up 25% since 2023.

When it comes to supplies that were needed the most, 82% of teachers listed the essentials: paper, pencils, and markers.

The report found that Texas teachers were among those spending the most, $935. Per the report, Kentucky teachers spent the most out-of-pocket at $1,328.

How does helping teachers help students and their families?

Simply put, compassionate teachers want their students to thrive and have a more productive, efficient learning experience.

Teachers reported to the Kids in Need Foundation that when students had the right supplies, students' ideas flourished, their confidence grew, and their genuine interest in learning began to develop. At least one teacher reported that being able to provide materials for her students put all the kids on equal ground. Bullying was also reduced as students could focus on the work at hand.

While the reassurance for students is necessary, teachers need to feel the support.

Forty-five percent of Kids in Need Foundation survey respondents nationally said they considered leaving teaching as a profession in 2023 as a result of feeling under-resourced and under-supported.

But we always have an opportunity to change that.

MOST-NEEDED SCHOOL SUPPLIES

• Crayons
• Highlighters
• Markers
• Pencils
• Folders
• Pens
• Composition Books
• Spiral Notebooks
• Post-It Notes
• Filler Paper
• Pencil Cases
• Lysol Wipes
• Scissors
• Glue Bottles
• Hand Sanitizer
• Glue Sticks
• Kleenex
• Paper Towels
• Hand Sanitizer
• Antibacterial Wipes

BENEFITING SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS

• AAMA Sanchez Charter School
• Aldine ISD
• Alief ISD
• Alvin ISD
• Angleton ISD
• Brazosport ISD
• Channelview ISD
• Cleveland ISD
• Cypress Fairbanks ISD
• Dayton ISD
• Dickinson ISD
• East Chambers ISD
• Fort Bend ISD
• Galena Park ISD
• Galveston ISD
• Goose Creek ISD
• Harris County Department of Education
• Hitchcock ISD
• Houston ISD
• Houston Gateway Academy Charter School
• Humble ISD
• International Leadership of Texas
• KIPP Houston Public Schools
• Katy ISD
• Klein ISD
• Lamar Consolidated ISD
• Pasadena ISD
• Pearland ISD
• Responsive Education
• Royal ISD
• San Francisco Nativity Academy
• SER- Ninos
• Sealy ISD
• Sheldon ISD
• Small Steps Charter School
• Southwest Schools
• Spring Branch ISD
• Spring ISD
• Texas City ISD
• The Rhodes School
• Trinity ISD
• Varnett ISD
• Yes Prep
• Yellowstone Academy