OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – It was an exciting day for teachers and students at Westside K-8 school on Friday.
A Gift For Teaching launched Pencil Boy Express - Osceola n partnership with The Education Foundation – Osceola County and powered by Universal Orlando Foundation.
On Friday, the van delivered about 100 boxes full of free school supplies.
“We launched this back in Orange County back in 2015 and it’s been a long time coming to bring Pencil Boy Express to Osceola County, so we are thrilled with this opportunity,” said Marisa Worley, with A Gift For Teaching.
The program is a vital resource because more than 86% of Osceola students cannot afford lunch let alone school supplies.
Middle school teacher, Tara Ulrich finds it hard sometimes to get supplies for her own classroom.
“There’s many times we don’t have anything and the nice thing is that now we can take advantage of the Pencil Boy Express,” Ulrich explained.
Last year, A Gift for Teaching provided 1.8 million dollars of school supplies to Osceola County classrooms.
The goal this year is to deliver even more supplies with the help of Pencil Boy Express hitting the road with deliveries in Osceola County.