PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- At the beginning of the school year teachers often find themselves paying for school supplies out of pocket. Thanks to a $100,000 donation, more than 100 teachers in Maine were able to save their own money.
Joan Murray new she would be buying many of her classroom supplies going into teaching at Reiche Elementary School in Portland 24 years ago, but it didn't stop her. She has found resources to help with the cost over the years, such as DonorsChoose.org. 29 of her classroom projects have been funded since she started posting wish lists on the site in 2009.
"This makes a huge difference and there are things that I get like that that our regular supplies and then there are things that are above and beyond that I just want to use with the students that I wouldn't necessarily buy myself," said Murray.
Across town at Ocean Avenue Elementary School, Erin Partridge also uses DonorsChoose.org. Both teachers, along with every Maine teacher who uses the website, were pleasantly surprised to find out that BJ's Wholesale Club donated $100,000 this year to fund all 165 classroom projects posted in the state.
"Pencils, colored Pencils, pencil sharpener, post it notes. We use a ton of post it notes to post the kid's thinking," said Partridge.
Both Partridge and Murray will tell you that they do it for the kids. A donation that benefited 7,758 Maine students did exactly that.
"When you sign up to be a teacher it's kind of part of the job," said Partridge. "You do it because you want to give your kids the best that they can have and the best chance."