Wet weather doesn't dampen school supply giveaway in Broward

Hundreds of teachers line up for free classroom materials

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – Hundreds of Broward County public school teachers braved the rain Saturday to pick up free school supplies as part of an annual charity event in Deerfield Beach.

The supplies include crayons, No. 2 pencils, notebook paper, Crayola washable markers, Crayola colored pencils, pens, scissors and glue. Teachers also received gift cards to buy additional materials. Organizers said volunteers gave out more than $450,000 in school supplies Saturday.

Recommended Videos



Volunteers hand-delivered the supplies to hundreds of teachers who waited inside their cars, filling up the parking lot of Suddath Relocation Systems.

Working under tight public school budgets, many teachers buy school supplies themselves despite their modest salaries.

The event was sponsored by United Way of Broward County, Publix Supermarkets and Suddath Relocation Systems.  

"We come together every year to give school supplies to our amazing teachers. We do in January because that’s because that’s when teachers really start digging into their own pockets to buy supplies for their schools, for their kids and for their classrooms," said Kathleen Cannon, president and CEO of United Way of Broward County.

Despite the dreary weather, Cannon said organizers had no plans to cancel.

"Rain or shine, we are here to serve our teachers," Cannon said.