4 Ways to Help Teachers This Back-To-School Season [PLUS Our Granita Shaved Ice Recipe]

Each year as September approaches, families rush the aisles of big box stores to stock up on back-to-school supplies and the latest threads for growing kiddos. But families aren’t alone in their rush to prepare for the school year. Teachers, often drastically underfunded and lacking appropriate resources, are forced to spend their money on classroom supplies. If that seems unfair, well, it certainly is. At Hapsy, we’ve made it part of our mission to give back to the teachers who help to raise our children, keep them safe, and expand their horizons day in and day out. In that spirit, we’re encouraging our friends and customers to support our efforts to donate teacher supplies within communities across the United States. Here are four ways you can help to support teachers this back-to-school season (regardless if you have a child in school).

But first! Back to school means the end of summer, shorter days, approaching holidays… To keep the relaxed summer vibe going a little longer, we’ve created a super simple but highly satisfying Granita Shaved Ice recipe to tickle your senses and support your wellness.

Watermelon Mint Granita Shaved Ice

• 1 watermelon, cubed
• 1/2 oz. @inthecuriouskitchen Mint Simple Syrup
• Hapsy Hint of Mint Daily Drops

Place your cubed watermelon into a blender, add 1/2 oz. of mint simple syrup & blend. Strain into a measuring cup for easy pouring. Pour liquid into KitchenAid ice molds and freeze for a minimum of 3 hours. Attach a coarse blade to the mixer and put ice mold into a shaved ice attachment.

Collect granita into a bowl and spoon granita into a cup, and top with a full dropper of Hapsy Hint of Mint Daily Drops. Garnish with a mint leaf, and enjoy!

Now, let’s get back to it.

1. Support your local schools through DonorsChoose

We’re not afraid to loudly proclaim that teachers deserve better pay, more resources, and better funding for classroom supplies. We aren’t alone in feeling that way. One of the fantastic new developments in this space is teacher donation sites. DonorsChoose is an organization founded in 2000 by a high school teacher in the Bronx. This organization empowers public school teachers from across the country to request materials for their students. When you utilize DonorsChoose, you help to fund back-to-school supplies, clothes, and even food for underserved youth. This platform makes it super simple to donate teacher supplies to local schools.

2. Jump on Giving Tuesday with “Things I bought and liked”

Things I Bought and Liked (Or TIBAL) is a site dedicated to… well, things the author bought and liked! It’s a summary of valuable and well-liked products to help others make an informed choice — and they promise never to take free products or partner with brands, which makes it all the more trustworthy and authentic. On Giving Tuesday of last year, TIBAL created a landing page for teachers to post their wishlists, and they committed to clear out one Amazon wishlist for teachers for every 10 wishlists cleared by others. The initiative took off. It was so successful that writer Kate Kearns documented the chaos with this article:

“Brands started showing up. Diving into the comments section, clearing lists for Title I teachers — happy to do good work for educators in this country, and also happy to seize the first-ever opportunity to ‘partner’ with the elusive TIBAL.” (keep reading to hear how Hapsy HQ helped!)

The article highlighted how many teachers need help and what is possible if we all band together to help. We hope it highlights even more teacher donation sites to support next year. Follow TIBAL on Instagram to keep up with their most liked items, and stay tuned for this year’s Giving Tuesday efforts.

3. Help stock classrooms through an Amazon wishlist for teachers

If you’re already a Prime member, this will be easy for you. Amazon allows teachers to create a wishlist with products they need for their classrooms. It’s probably the easiest and quickest of teacher donation sites. Hapsy buys entire wishlists for teachers in our local community each year. Last year, during the TIBAL Giving Tuesday amazingness, Hapsy gave away more than $4,000 in teacher back-to-school supplies, clearing out six Amazon wishlists for teachers. We also equipped 12 teachers with our products in a Hapsy “Take Care” package. If you know a teacher who needs supplies, suggest creating an Amazon wishlist so they can crowdsource. This list covers the most popular teacher wishlist items.

4. Speak to teachers at your local school about their needs

Do you know a teacher trying to manage their classroom needs without resources? Talk to them and see how you can help. If they don’t have a wishlist, send them this link to give them ideas and resources. To make a difference, not only for teachers but for children and families in need, start an effort to donate teacher supplies to classrooms in your community.

Back-to-school can be a chaotic time for parents, children, and teachers. What matters most is preparing the children in our communities to become well-rounded adults. Considering how much teachers do to prepare the next generation to lead us, it’s worth an annual investment in an extra binder, set of erasers or other back-to-school supplies, whether or not we are parents.

If you’re feeling the chaos of back-to-school, stock up on the Hapsy Daily Drop to kick feelings of anxiety and the Soothe Stick for aching muscles and joints. We’ve made restocking your Hapsy products even easier with Hapsy on subscription. Set it and forget it this school year. Choose your frequency of delivery every 30, 60, or 90 days — all while saving 20%.