Preparing for back to school can be hard on teachers financially, but Friends of Materials for the Arts is aiming to help local New York City educators access school supplies. This organization collects materials, that would otherwise end up as garbage, and makes them available to teachers to use in their classrooms. We love this creative way to reduce waste and help teachers create vibrant, kind classrooms!

Learn more about Friends of Materials for the Arts and also check out our partnership with Staples to see how you can get involved with helping a teacher today!

In preparation for the start of the 2017/2018 school year, Materials for the Arts hosts a Back to School Shopping Spree for NYC public school teachers. The best part about it is that everything is free! We know that the few months leading up to the beginning of a new school year can be filled with challenges as families and educators alike try to collect and purchase supplies with limited budgets.

With that in mind, we make an extra special effort to provide traditional and nontraditional materials to our members from early August through the end of September. All of our materials can be used in hands-on projects, school productions, and concerts. While our materials are available all year round, here’s how you can help us put a smile on the faces of our dedicated NYC teachers.

There are three simple ways you can contribute to a fantastic new school year:

Make a contribution to Friends of Materials for the Arts
Your support will help to fund our donations operation and help us to pick up materials from businesses throughout New York City who have agreed to donate their surplus items.

Drop-off donations
Are you no longer using that sewing machine or those art supplies? You can drop off your unwanted items three days a week from 9 am – 3 pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at our Long Island City warehouse. You can e-mail us at [email protected] and tell us what you have. Just to be safe check out this list of items we don’t accept.

Get your community involved
Encourage your office, school or local community to become active reuse and sustainability partners by organizing a drive to collect unwanted items. Then arrange to drop them off at Materials for the Arts. If you live outside of New York City, share them with schools and non-profits in your area.
For more information contact: [email protected]