From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 13, The Place of Forsyth County will be partnering with local schools, teachers and community groups to hold the nonprofit’s first-ever education “re-use store” event.

According to Melina Holt, outreach coordinator for The Place, Forsyth County teachers will be able to get teaching materials for the upcoming school year from donated surplus supplies that might otherwise have gone to waste.

"It's almost like a teacher swap," Holt said. "Everybody has been really excited about it, teachers have loved the idea and so I'm excited to see what the turnout will be.”

Holt said that with the help of six local schools, the place was able to gather 9-10 pallets worth of books, materials, games and other school supplies that teachers will be able to pick through and take for their classrooms.

For new teachers, teachers transitioning from classroom to classroom, or teachers looking to cut down on their out-of-pocket materials costs, she said that the event could be very helpful.

"We want to be able to help the teachers, maybe save some money on stuff they would normally have to buy,” she said.

In addition to saving local teachers money for other things, she said that they also wanted to make sure that the pallets of materials that were donated as the 2018-19 school year ended didn’t just end up going to a dump.

“There's a lot of great reusable stuff,” Holt said. “It's always good to be able to upcycle and reuse when an item is reusable."

For any local teacher that wants to participate in the event, Holt said that they should come ready with their ID badge or some other proof of employment and a general list of what they might need for the upcoming year.

Holt said that after teachers check out the reuse store, they can also get a 25% discount at The Place’s thrift store during the event.

"It’s a little thank you to our Forsyth County schools and to say thank you for everything that they do,” she said.