CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – An initiative that helps teachers fund projects and improvements through donations could get a big boost Tuesday from SONIC restaurants, part of Teacher Appreciation Week at Albemarle County Public Schools.

The SONIC Foundation will match any donations made Tuesday through DonorsChoose, a national educational fundraising organization.

“They can get additional resources for our neediest students and the benefit of matching donations from amazing partners,” Kelly McCaskill, the chairperson of the DonorsChoose volunteer committee with the ACPS Family Council, told Cville Right Now. “It’s a terrific way to give back and double your gift and support our teachers.”

McCaskill noted that inflation and budget cuts have increased the burden on schools and teachers.

As of Wednesday, ACPS teachers had posted 18 projects and one, a new mobile whiteboard for kindergartners at Greer Elementary, has already been fully funded by donors.

“Teachers go above and beyond every day to create meaningful learning experiences for their students, often using their own resources to make it happen,” Stuart Brown, executive director of the SONIC Foundation, said in a statement. “Through our partnership with DonorsChoose and the support of SONIC guests, we’re proud to help give educators the tools they need to inspire curiosity, creativity and confidence in the classroom.”

DonorsChoose allows educators to create a virtual shopping cart for their project – a list of items needed from a variety of vendors to make the project become a reality. Donors then choose projects to contribute to.

When the funding level is met, DonorsChoose purchases and ships the supplies directly to the schools.

Schools don’t have to pay taxes on the purchases and teachers don’t have to shell out money from their own pockets to front the purchases.

ACPS’s Family Council launched an official partnership in 2023, though teachers used the platform before that. In all, DonorsChoose has helped raise over $500,000 for county schools.

McCaskill said DonorsChoose will be running different matching opportunities throughout the week, and those will be publicized on both the site and the Family Council’s Facebook page.

This week, there is also a partnership with Loft, the national women’s clothing retailer, which is offering shoppers online and in stores the chance to roundup or make donations to ACPS with each purchase.

“That money stays in each local community,” McCaskill said.