UTICA, N.Y. -- Compassion Coalition hosted a sneak peek of its free store for teachers.
"Equipped 2 Teach" is located at 506 Columbia Street in Utica – where Bargain Grocery used to be.
The newly renovated 1,700 square foot space will allow for teachers to shop for classroom supplies for free.
National donors and the Bargain Grocer store fund the free shopping experience.
"Stuff is always donated at the beginning of the year. We know that right? Our community is so generous and wonderful. But the issue is a lot of those crayons break, pencils break and this is a full year program. We're open for the whole entire school year. So this is huge for teachers so that in January when donations and supplies run out they can come here and get those for free,” said Rachel Daughtry, the director of agency relations.
"Equipped 2 Teach" started in December of 2017 in response to national headlines outlining the out of pocket expenses that teachers were funding their classes with.
The store is set to open Tuesday.
