Linn Area Credit Union was founded as the Cedar Rapids Teachers’ Credit Union in 1935, so our support for educators in our communities runs deep. When the floods of 2008 devastated Cedar Rapids and the surrounding areas, Linn Area Credit Union began to lay the groundwork for the Teacher Store, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to donating free classroom materials and supplies to local teachers.
Fully operational since 2009, the Teacher Store provides free classroom supplies to area K-12 educators when funds are not available, bridging the resource gap between what schools and families can provide and what is needed by the children to be successful in their studies. Typical stocked items include pencils, pens, colored pencils, glue sticks, markers, dry-erase markers, rulers, paper, antibacterial wipes, facial tissues, paper towels, hand sanitizer, apparel (youth sizes), and calculators.
The Cedar Rapids Education Association (CREA) partnered with Linn Area Credit Union to provide ongoing funding and other support for the store. The Teacher Store was staffed by volunteers, usually teachers, who earned in-house currency (aka Teacher Bucks) in exchange for their volunteering. They would use these Teacher Bucks to “buy” items at the store. (One Teacher Buck could purchase many dollars’ worth of supplies.) Educators also acquired Teacher Bucks for joining the CREA or opening an account, taking out a loan, or getting a credit card with Linn Area Credit Union.
In June 2018, the Teacher Store’s original home in downtown Cedar Rapids suffered structural damage, and the building owners decided not to make repairs. The Teacher Store was at a crossroads.
Linn Area Credit Union’s management team and board of directors, in conjunction with the Teacher Store’s board of directors, understood that the Teacher Store served a vital function in the community; it was too important to shut down. After considering several other possible locations, they decided to reinvent the store as a mobile unit, just in time for the start of the 2018/19 school year.
Now on wheels, the Teacher Store can bring supplies directly to teachers at their schools. This new mobility also allows the store to extend its reach to surrounding counties, making it easier for teachers in outlying areas to benefit from the free supplies.
In early October, we’ll launch www.teacherstore.org. On this new website, teachers will be able to request school visits and let us know what supplies are in high demand at their schools. They’ll also be able to stay up-to-date on other Teacher Store events.
As always, teachers can earn Teacher Bucks by using Linn Area Credit Union as their financial partner — but we’ll be introducing a variety of fun, different ways to earn Teacher Bucks as well.
Even though the Teacher Store is driven by Linn Area Credit Union, the store relies on donations from generous individuals and companies, as well as grant funding, to keep the wheels turning. We accept donations of new supplies, as well as monetary donations that allow us to purchase additional inventory. We will also accept donations of gently used large-ticket items, such as desk chairs.
Linn Area Credit Union is proud to be able to continue our support of educators in our communities by being a sustaining partner of the Teacher Store.