{"id":575791,"date":"2021-08-03T16:40:24","date_gmt":"2021-08-03T20:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/?post_type=article&#038;p=575791"},"modified":"2021-08-18T11:03:08","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T15:03:08","slug":"a-shift-in-classroom-needs-teachers-turn-to-donorschoose-to-crowdfund-food-clothes-for-students-during-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/a-shift-in-classroom-needs-teachers-turn-to-donorschoose-to-crowdfund-food-clothes-for-students-during-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"A Shift in Classroom Needs: Teachers Turn to DonorsChoose to Crowdfund Food, Clothes for Students During Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"drop-cap\">W<\/span>itnessing the growth of food and income insecurity during the pandemic, teachers and districts are turning to DonorsChoose \u2014 a nonprofit crowdfunding site for public educators \u2014 to leverage financial support.<\/p>\n<p>Founded in 2000 and historically utilized for instructional materials that teachers would either have to pay for out of pocket or go without, like auxiliary books, kits, games, and technology, the platform and its district partnership model have enabled teachers to raise over $670,000 in funds for warmth, care, and hunger needs for students since January 2020, according to DonorsChoose\u2019s public relations team.<\/p>\n<span class=\"cta_snippet\"><hr><p><em>Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. <\/em><a class=\"arrow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/about\/newsletters\/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=top&utm_id=newsletter\"><strong>Sign up for The 74 Newsletter<\/strong><\/a><\/p><hr><\/span>\n<p>New York elementary teacher Laurie Gurdal at P.S. 245 in Brooklyn, for example, wrote a project to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.donorschoose.org\/project\/food-pantry-for-our-school-community\/5454444\/\">fund a food pantry<\/a> for her low-income students. \u201cOur families are facing food shortages at this time,\u201d the project reads, \u201cit is hard to learn when you are hungry.\u201d Two donors donated $1,108 between March 8 and April 5, 2021, fully funding the pantry in under a month.<\/p>\n<p>The New York City Department of Education, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Philadelphia City School District joined DonorChoose\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.donorschoose.org\/districtpartners\">partnership program<\/a> in 2020, which more than 180 districts now participate in, representing over 10,000 schools nationally.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline_story shortcode simple\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/smarter-crowdfunding-for-classrooms-when-teachers-fundraise-technology-their-districts-cant-always-support-it-donorschoose-now-has-a-fix-for-that\/\"><figure style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Donors-choose-tech-guidelines-lede.jpg);\"><\/figure><div><span class=\"sans related_tag\">Related<\/span><h4 class=\"sans\">Smarter Crowdfunding for Classrooms: When Teachers Fundraise Technology, Their Districts Can\u2019t Always Support It. DonorsChoose Now Has a Fix for That<\/h4><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Though individual LAUSD teachers have utilized the platform since about 2005, district partners are offered added support and communication. Principals are notified whenever a new project is started at their school to get a better sense of community need, and when companies offer donation matches for projects. Partners are also provided resources for training teachers to use the platform and data for district leadership.<\/p>\n<p>Austin Buetner, who ended his three-year tenure as superintendent of the country\u2019s second-largest district this June, told The 74 that LAUSD\u2019s participation is part of an effort to engage the broader community in schools, particularly as housing and food insecurity becomes more widespread.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to expand the scope of support for public education. There are philanthropists who can write large checks, there are active and engaged individuals who can bring intellectual capital to a school or volunteer their time. And there are others who say well actually I have limited means, but I really want to know what that classroom needs \u2014 it turns out, a $10, $20 or $30 donation can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline_story shortcode simple\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/amid-covid-19-crisis-closed-schools-converted-to-grab-go-food-centers-across-los-angeles-are-saviors-to-children-and-adults-alike-bring-a-little-more-normalcy\/\"><figure style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20200318_084033.jpg);\"><\/figure><div><span class=\"sans related_tag\">Related<\/span><h4 class=\"sans\">Amid COVID-19 Crisis, Closed Schools Converted to Grab &#038; Go Food Centers Across Los Angeles Are Saviors to Children and Adults Alike, \u2018Bring a Little More Normalcy\u2019<\/h4><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Since March 2020, 34 percent of all projects in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.donorschoose.org\/lausd?active=true\">LAUSD<\/a> have funded technology needed for virtual learning, food, clothing, and hygiene, up from their all-time average of 28 percent. The trend is similar in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.donorschoose.org\/sdp?active=true\">Philadelphia<\/a>, where about 32 percent of pandemic-era projects have requested technology, food, clothing, and hygiene resources, up from their 25 percent all-time average.<\/p>\n<p>This month, Philadelphia\u2019s returning teachers will attend DonorsChoose hands-on classes as a part of their professional development training. \u200b\u200bMichael Sonkowsky, the district\u2019s deputy chief of the Office of Grant Development, says teachers have been requesting support for fundraising platforms for years.<\/p>\n<p>As their small office adapted to a surge of pandemic-related needs \u2014 including preparing school buildings for students\u2019 safe return \u2014 the formal partnership enabled them to streamline communications with teachers, particularly about company-match opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe who work in development have seen a truly inspiring surge in philanthropy \u2014 both via crowdfunding platforms and via more traditional avenues \u2014 during the pandemic,\u201d Sonkowsky said in an email to The 74.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, there are 976 projects on the site within the warmth, care, and hunger category that support classes with majority low-income students. The push to provide young learners with basic needs, from workable laptops to hot meals, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/moore-identify-need-find-partners-build-buzz-how-nevada-got-100-of-students-online-during-covid-its-a-formula-that-works-even-beyond-a-crisis\/\">one felt across the country<\/a> as districts rushed to adapt to hybrid and virtual learning environments and families experienced unemployment and uncertainty.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline_story shortcode simple\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/covidclassroomcrisis\/\"><figure style=\"background-image: url();\"><\/figure><div><span class=\"sans related_tag\">Related<\/span><h4 class=\"sans\">COVID Classroom Crisis<\/h4><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Economists now refer to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/d-c-s-missing-students-and-the-rush-to-avert-a-covid-classroom-crisis\/\">pandemic-era recession as K-shaped<\/a>: high income families bounced back and<strong>, <\/strong>in many cases, have become more wealthy, while low-income families, typically involved in the hard-hit service industry and in-person labor, have experienced devastating economic losses. Teachers like LAUSD\u2019s Diane Yokoyama, who serves predominantly low-income children, have witnessed the recession\u2019s toll on students.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany of my parents work two jobs just to make ends meet. My students come to school with the bare minimum,\u201d Yokoyama told The 74 via email. \u201cI had projects funded for clothes, food, backpacks, umbrellas, shoes \u2026 things that I could never afford on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With $120 billion in American Rescue Plan pandemic relief funding heading to schools to ameliorate some of these inequities, states are proposing major investments in mental health, well-being, tutoring and data systems.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline_story shortcode simple\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/how-are-states-spending-their-covid-education-relief-funds\/\"><figure style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Webp.net-gifmaker-3.gif);\"><\/figure><div><span class=\"sans related_tag\">Related<\/span><h4 class=\"sans\">How Are States Spending Their COVID Education Relief Funds?<\/h4><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>With an influx of funds, California will begin the nation\u2019s largest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/07\/20\/1018267303\/california-free-lunch-public-schools\">free-lunch program for students<\/a>, regardless of family income. But in the months states and districts were planning how to allocate relief dollars, student needs were mounting.<\/p>\n<p>For Yokoyama, DonorsChoose provided a path to meet urgent calls for meals, technology, and pandemic safety protections. In some cases, projects were fulfilled within weeks. Once funded, dry food, clothes, cleaning supplies, and PPE were mailed to her school, where she picked up items and delivered them to students&#8217; homes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to reassure the parents and children that it would be OK to return to school,\u201d she said, reflecting on her efforts to get materials into students\u2019 hands.<\/p>\n<p>Yokoyama has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.donorschoose.org\/classroom\/yokoyama\">used DonorsChoose for years<\/a>, but the platform offered her \u201ca new way to teach\u201d during hybrid and virtual learning. Donors funded a second monitor and portable whiteboard for her home, making virtual lessons more accessible.<\/p>\n<p>The projects and subsequent data given to district partners has also provided a gauge of where needs are left unmet by pre-existing budgets. Superintendent Buetner dubbed teachers\u2019 projects, \u201cthe voice of the classroom, which we can learn from.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe best perspective of what students&#8217; needs are comes from the front of the classroom,\u201d he said, \u201cnot from some distant central office building.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline_story shortcode simple\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/newsletter\/\"><figure style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/the74million_logo.png);\"><\/figure><div><span class=\"sans related_tag\">Related<\/span><h4 class=\"sans\">Sign up for The 74\u2019s newsletter<\/h4><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Witnessing the growth of food and income insecurity during the pandemic, teachers and districts are turning to DonorsChoose \u2014 a nonprofit crowdfunding site for public educators \u2014 to leverage financial support. Founded in 2000 and historically utilized for instructional materials that teachers would either have to pay for out of pocket or go without, like [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":575795,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[190],"tags":[1157,1701,1562,895,1013,1702,1149],"series":[1059],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/575791"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/575791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":576454,"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/575791\/revisions\/576454"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=575791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=575791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=575791"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=575791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}