The Pencil Box

School year 2025 at The Pencil Box is complete, and the numbers tell a story we are proud to share. This year, 535 teacher partners shopped The Pencil Box on behalf of 25,639 students across 59 Tulsa County public schools, selecting supplies matched to their classroom needs. Together, we distributed $1,314,525 in free school supplies, and the impact reaches far beyond the shelves. Follow along in the coming weeks as we share what school year 2025 meant for our children, their teachers, and their classrooms. Together, we are giving our children the tools they need to believe in what is possible.

A student at one of our partner schools sat down, picked up a pencil, and wrote this letter to you. Not to us. To you.

"Your kind donation will help a ton of students, including myself, to be ready and prepared to keep on learning and keep on fighting for our dreams and goals. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

This is why we do what we do. Every supply that comes through our doors carries a message to a child like them: someone believes in you. Someone invested in your future. You are worth it.

Thank you for making that possible. Together, we are giving our children the tools to dream, to fight, and to soar.

Every year, you show up for the teachers and students who need it most. This year, we're going to rock the route for education at Cain's Ballroom.

Save the date! Rock Paper Scissors 2026, Friday, October 2. Dinner, drinks, live music, dancing, and a live and silent auction, all in support of our children and the teachers who show up for them every day. Route 66 turns 100 this year, and there is no better place to mark that than right here on the Mother Road.

More details coming soon at thepencilbox.org/rps.

Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day, and we want to say something simple: thank you.

Thank you for showing up every single day for our children. Thank you for staying at schools where the need is great, even when it would be easier to go somewhere else. Thank you for making sure every student in your classroom feels seen, prepared, and ready to learn.

535 teachers walked through our doors this school year. Every one of them made a choice to put their students first. That is not a small thing. That is everything.

To every teacher partner, past and present: you are the connection between these supplies and our children. Every item that leaves our store makes it to a student because of you.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day. You are so loved. 🍎

"The way you help teachers means a lot and can really brighten someone's day."

A note made for you by a child whose teacher partners with The Pencil Box.

It is a good reminder of why we do this work, and who we are doing it for. Thank you to every donor, volunteer, and supporter who makes it possible for our children to walk into a classroom ready to learn. 💙

This is Abner's letter.

He didn't write about pencils or notebooks. He wrote about feeling safe. He wrote about having everything he needs.

That's what your donations actually do. They don't just stock a classroom. They tell a child that someone thought of them, planned for them, showed up for them before the first bell ever rang.

We're grateful for every donor who makes that possible. Because of you, Abner walked into his classroom ready to learn.

Together, we are giving our children the foundation they deserve.

Since 2015, The Pencil Box has provided $8.7 million in supplies to 2,195 individual teachers, impacting 257,488 students across Tulsa County.

None of it happens without you.

This week, we wrapped up teacher shopping for school year 2025. We are reflecting on every teacher and child who walked into their classroom a little more prepared and a little more hopeful because of you, our supporters. Back to work getting ready for school year 2026 on Monday.

A student named Kimmy P. sat down and wrote a letter to our donors this week. She thanked them for the pencils. She told them not to worry, that the supplies would be put to good use. One line in particular has stayed with us:

"It's nice to see that there's someone at there that actually cares about a student's education."

She knows. These children know when someone shows up for them, and they remember it.

Thank you to every donor who makes that moment possible. Together, we are giving our children more than supplies. We are giving them proof that they matter.

Lilah figured out how this works, and she wanted you to know.

"Thank you for letting my teacher come shop at your store. My teacher getting books at your store puts books in my hands I can read every night."

Donor. Store. Teacher. Child.

She traced the whole path herself, and she's right. That is exactly how it works. Your generosity moves through our store, into her teacher's cart, and lands in Lilah's hands. That is the chain of care that our children feel even if they can't always name it.

Lilah named it. And then she signed her letter "Your friend."

We think that says everything. Thank you for being a friend to our children.

April is National Volunteer Month, and we have some people to thank.

In 2025, 532 volunteers gave 5,200 hours to The Pencil Box. Some show up every week, Monday through Wednesday, keeping our store stocked and our shelves ready for the teachers who depend on us. Others come as a group, a workplace team, a faith community, a class, and give a few hours that end up meaning a lot.

All of it adds up to hundreds of teachers and thousands of students walking into classrooms with what they need.

To everyone who has volunteered your time and talent , thank you.