What Does C2C Do?
Crayons2Calculators (C2C) was founded in 2006 with the vision of equipping every Durham classroom with appropriate school supplies to enable students’ learning, growth, and academic success. In the 15 years since its founding, Crayons2Calculators has contributed significantly toward meeting the “school supplies gap.” Each year, the organization serves over 1,000 teachers and distributes more than $100,000 worth of supplies.
DPS - Fast Facts
C2C’s services cover the 53 schools and roughly 32,000 students in the Durham Public School district, many of whom cannot afford school supplies.
15,311 Durham children– roughly one in four–live at or below the federal poverty level.
Further, the share of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch across all DPS schools ranges from 17.29% to 99.01%.
In total, over half (51.56%) of all DPS students qualified for free and reduced lunch in the 2020-2021 school year.
2022-2023 Impact
2,008 Teachers Served
$184,845 In Supplies Distributed
Impact
Survey data show that C2C helps teacher save 49% on school supplies each year. On average, teachers who filled out the survey spend $263 on school supplies each year, with higher spending for teachers of younger grades.
Nearly all teachers who have shopped at C2C felt that the store has supplies that meet their needs. All respondents who have shopped at C2C before were somewhat or very satisfied with the supplies they received from C2C. Ninety-eight percent of teachers who have shopped at C2C felt that C2C’s supplies were somewhat or very important in helping them feel supported in the classroom. All respondents who had shopped at C2C felt that the 8 supplies they had received were somewhat or very important in helping their students learn and helping teachers feel appreciated and supported as educators.
C2C understands that when students’ families are unable to afford school supplies, teachers often feel called to purchase supplies on their behalf, so the C2C solution is simple and responsive. Each year, C2C receives cash and in-kind donations of school supplies from community members and businesses. Three-quarters of supplies come from Fill That Bus, a summer school supply drive and community event. DPS teachers can fill out a form requesting free school supplies from C2C’s stock, which is stored at the C2C warehouse in the DPS central offices building.
By maintaining ongoing communication with teachers and adopting innovative adjustments to C2C’s service model, the organization has been responsive to DPS teachers’ needs. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, educators needed whiteboards for their students to write answers during virtual learning—whiteboards that pandemicaffected households could not afford. C2C filled the gap, helping students get the right supplies for their new virtual classroom. The organization also implemented online order forms (in place of paper forms) and school supply delivery (in place of teacher pick-up at the C2C warehouse) in response to the pandemic. Online delivery tripled the number of orders placed with C2C, and C2C filled 1,000 orders from September to November 2021.
C2C’s vision and scope is growing. The organization initially focused on elementary and middle schools with the highest percentage of low-income students, but has maintained an active presence in all DPS schools since 2019. As C2C grows, so does its vision to holistically support Durham schools, by fostering relationships between teachers, students, and community members. Now, having provided over $1 million in school supplies, C2C looks forward to continuing to serve teachers and students, and all that their bright future will hold.