CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) – With Monday being the first day of school for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, a teacher giveaway was held Sunday at Marshall Park.

Educators like Sherrye Byers and Dana Williams stopped by and took home school supplies to help their students be prepared for the first day of school.

“We reach into our pockets and buy a lot of things to make our classroom warm and inviting, because that’s what the kids need,” says sixth-grade teacher Sherrye Byers.

“Not only do we work a lot outside of the eight hours, we are also at home, making lesson plans, buying materials and things for students who may be disadvantaged,” she continued.

The organizer of the event to enable educators to continue doing what they love is Brandon Brown. He decided to raise funds for teaching materials for CMS teachers in honor of his birthday.

“We had three locations where people could drop off supplies, and those are the supplies you see,” Brown said.

Collect Kleenex, tissues, markers, pencils, etc. and provide them to teachers free of charge.

“We want to encourage them and give them an incentive when they go to school in the morning so they can remember the day when the community was able to give back to them,” Brown said.

Brown says he plans to continue collecting classroom supplies for CMS teachers throughout the school year with the help of the community to show them his appreciation.

“First of all, just thinking about the teachers right now really struck a chord with me. We have to get the supplies for the teachers and the things that we need. Extra things that we have to spend our own money on,” said Dana Williams of Highland Creek Elementary.

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