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School supplies or supper?

It’s a difficult decision for lots of parents, fifth-grade teacher Debra Hufschmitt said.

But for many families at Sedgefield Elementary, that struggle eased Thursday when $1,300 in donated supplies showed up in the school’s cafeteria.

“It just blows your mind,” Hufschmitt said. “It lets you know that teachers aren’t the only people who still care about kids.”

The supplies came as a part of Harvest for Teachers, a program that partners 34 schools in Guilford County with local organizations. Started in 2001 as Fill the Bus and coordinated by The Volunteer Center of Greensboro, the program works to offset high out-of-pocket costs to teachers.

Last year, the program resulted in more than $100,000 in donations.

It goes beyond the basics, said Michele Meley, principal of Sedgefield Elementary.

While paper and crayons are always needed, teachers also can request specific items for their classrooms.

One asked for a globe. Another needed a rocking chair. A gym teacher said she didn’t need supplies, but asked for help renting an inflatable bounce house for the end-of-year carnival.

“They always try to make the giveaway exciting for the teachers,” Meley said. “It’s not just 'Here’s boxes.’ ”

The matches often cultivate long-standing relationships, said Aaron Hunt, program director for The Volunteer Center, because they are made between schools and groups in the same neighborhood.

Deluxe Corp. raises money for Sedgefield Elementary through bake sales and raffles. Employees hand out the supplies every year at a lunch party, complete with cake and a salad that Judy Burnside, a Deluxe employee, is now required to make.

The teachers ask for it.

Employees from Citi, which is matched with Sedalia Elementary, visit the school throughout the year to take part in pumpkin carvings and reading groups.

Most of the money for supplies comes straight from their employees’ pockets, said Lisa Moore, public affairs director for Citi.

“They just have big hearts,” she said. “So many (employees) have kids that go here and they know there is a need.”

Eric Parker, a fifth-grade teacher at Sedalia Elementary, said the donations are especially important this year, with more parents out of work and needing to cut back.

“Every year it becomes more and more important,” he said. “The needs of the students increase and, to be honest, the needs of the teachers increase.”

Parker said parents often ask if they need to buy all of the necessary supplies at once or if they can split it between a few paychecks.

The Harvest for Teachers donations will keep these students from feeling singled out, he said.

“They can come in and be just like everyone else,” said Kathy Davis, treasurer at Sedalia Elementary.

And for the teachers, the donations allow them to focus their funds on other aspects of education such as field trips, rewards for students and instructional items.

“This truly is one of those days,” Meley said. “It’s like Christmas.”

Contact Tricia L. Nadolny at 373-7028 or tricia.nadolny@news-record.com