Teacher Treasures and Fairvalue Collaborate for Meal Distribution

LENOIR, NC (April 28, 2020) — Teacher Treasures: A Resource Center and Fairvalue Food Stores have collaborated to provide 22,000 plastic grocery bags to Caldwell County Schools for meal distribution. The bags will be used to package meals for Caldwell County students. According to Guy Garner, Child Nutrition Director, Caldwell County Schools have provided 290,968 meals to students in need since school buildings were closed in March.

Katie Tocci Picks Up 22000 Bags Donated by Fairvalue Food Stores

Meals are pre-packaged by Child Nutrition employees and distributed at four sites throughout the county: Granite Elementary School, Hudson Elementary School, Gamewell Elementary School, and Valmead Elementary School. Garner stated that on distribution days, child nutrition staff members pass out around 70,000 meals. Any family with students 18 years old and under may pick up meals Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at one of these four locations. Another 8,000 meals are delivered to students who do not have transportation.

Katie Tocci delivering bags to Education Center

Teacher Treasures: A Resource Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide Caldwell County students and classrooms with the tools necessary for success by providing no-cost resources through community partnerships. When schools were closed and distance learning began in March, Teacher Treasures worked closely with each school in Caldwell County to provide supplies for students to have at home. After supplying students with resources necessary for distance learning, the organization turned its focus to other needs of the school system, specifically feeding students.

Executive Director, Katie Tocci, said, “Teacher Treasures will always come through with supplies for Caldwell County Schools, but it’s imperative that we shift our focus to the school system’s current needs. During this time, we’ve spent less time stocking shelves with glue sticks and crayons, and more time locating grocery bags and sandwich bags to assist in feeding students.”

Tocci went on to say how grateful she is for the support of Fairvalue Food Stores and other area businesses who are helping meet the basic needs of Caldwell County students. “During a time when people are expected to stay apart, it’s refreshing to see local businesses and organizations come together,” she added. In addition to the collaboration with Fairvalue, Teacher Treasures has also worked with Dollar General Store #2875 in Lenoir who donated 1,000 bags and Food Lion of Lenoir who donated 75 bags.

Shawn Yambor, President of Fairvalue Food Stores said, “We’ve been extremely fortunate to be able to help people during this time of need. We feel blessed to be in the communities that we are. These efforts are possible because of the community and our partners.”

The need for new, unused grocery bags to package meals is ongoing, as is the need for new, unopened boxes of sandwich, snack, and quart bags. Businesses or organizations interested in donating either of these supplies are asked to contact Katie Tocci at Katie@teachertreasures.org to coordinate pick-up and delivery to Caldwell County Schools.

About Teacher Treasures: A Resource Center
Teacher Treasures: A Resource Center is a non-profit organization supporting Caldwell County public schools, its teachers, and students. The organization was founded in 2017 by the Ferguson family as a distribution mechanism for supplies collected during the annual School Tools drive coordinated by Communities In Schools of Caldwell County. Supply distribution through Teacher Treasures allows the organization to track the impact on the community and ensure supplies are readily available to teachers. Caldwell County public school teachers are invited to register on the website www.teachertreasures.org and reserve an appointment to shop in the store for free resources. The resource center is located at 332 Mulberry Street SW; Lenoir, NC 28645. Shopping appointments are available weekdays 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Questions regarding appointments and available resources can be directed to info@teachertreasures.org.

About Fairvalue Food Stores
Fairvalue Food Stores are locally-owned and operated food stores dedicated to providing the community with the very best service, variety and price. The company has two locations: Granite Falls and Lenoir to serve the residents of Caldwell County. All money spent at Fairvalue Food Stores has a sincere commitment to the Caldwell County community and the people who live here. They know it is their responsibility to be involved and contribute their share. www.fairvalue.com

A Teacher Treasures Press Release