RALEIGH, N.C. – (WPTF) — As thousands of Wake County teachers begin preparing their classrooms for the new school year, WakeEd Partnership joined Wake County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor, Wake County Board of Education Chair Tyler Swanson and Staples General Manager Yomary Wilder to officially launch the 2026 Tools4Schools Community Supply Drive on Tuesday (July 7).
The kickoff event, held at the Staples store on Wake Forest Road in Raleigh, marked the beginning of the seven-week community-wide campaign to collect school supplies for Tools4Schools, WakeEd’s free classroom supply store for Wake County public school educators. Staples is once again partnering with WakeEd by serving as a public collection site at all Wake County store locations throughout the campaign.
Since opening in 2022, Tools4Schools has provided more than $2 million worth of classroom supplies to more than 6,700 teachers from every Wake County public school, helping educators save money while ensuring students have the supplies they need to learn and succeed. By August, every donated notebook, backpack, marker and box of pencils collected during the campaign will be available free of charge to Wake County teachers preparing their classrooms for students’ return.
Here are select comments from today’s press event:
“Teachers will always do everything they can to make sure their students have what they need to learn. Tools4Schools helps make sure they don’t have to do it alone,” said Keith Poston, President WakeEd Partnership in a press release. “This campaign isn’t just about collecting school supplies—it’s about making sure every Wake County classroom has the tools teachers need to help every student succeed. Every donation our community makes during this campaign will soon find its way into a classroom.”
“Today is a great reminder that educating students is truly a community effort,” said Dr. Robert Taylor, Superintendent, Wake County Public Schools. “Every notebook, pencil, book and classroom supply represents an opportunity for a student to learn, create and succeed. These resources may seem simple, but they have a meaningful impact in classrooms every day. It’s hard to overstate the positive impact this program has had—not only on the availability of classroom resources, but also on teacher morale. It reminds them just how valued they are.”
“This program represents the very best of Wake County. When our educators need support, our community steps up,” Tyler Swanson, Chair, Wake County Board of Education. “Our educators show up every day because they believe in our students. They deserve more than our gratitude. They deserve competitive pay, respect for their expertise, and the resources to do their jobs without having to reach into their own wallets. Together, we can make sure our students start the school year ready to learn while continuing to advocate for the long-term investments our teachers and public schools deserve.”
Yomary Wilder, General Manager, Staples said: “Staples is proud to continue its partnership with WakeEd Partnership for the third year, supporting the Tools4Schools program to provide classroom supplies to Wake County Public School teachers. All Staples stores in Wake County have drop-off bins for school supply donations from July 7 to August 21, making it easy for customers and community to give back and support local teachers.”
“This effort is part of Staples’ broader commitment to the communities we serve,” Wilder added. “We believe in strengthening education through local partnerships that make it easy for our customers and the community to give back and directly support local schools.”
The 2026 campaign runs through August 21 and encourages individuals, businesses, civic organizations, faith communities, neighborhoods and schools to donate supplies, host collection drives or make financial contributions.
Last year, thousands of community members, businesses and civic organizations contributed school supplies that stocked the shelves of Tools4Schools throughout the school year. WakeEd hopes to build on that momentum by expanding community participation during this year’s campaign.