Mom creates subscription service for school supplies to help teachers
Karen Borchet said she's not good at baking cupcakes for bake sales
By Michelle Bandur
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OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Karen Borchet said she’s not good at baking cupcakes for bake sales, so she came up with a new recipe of support for her children’s teachers.
“I wish there was a way I could subscribe, just as easy as a way to subscribe to Netflix that we could get things to teachers every month that they really need and really want,” Borchet said.
Borchet is renting space in Millwork Commons filled with school supplies and packing materials.
“A lot of our stuff is picked by and for teachers,” she said.
The mom and tech-savvy entrepreneur created alpaca, a website where subscribers pay for school supplies.
She started at her kids’ school, Washington Elementary, four months ago and today there are 120 subscribers for six schools.
“Today we are packing up for 170 teachers,” Borchet said.
“It’s just really nice to have something every day that reminds teachers that their work is appreciated and valued,” said parent Denise Powell.
Omaha Public School parents Powell and Emily Moody signed up and now volunteer to pack the school supplies.
“I don’t think we do that enough for teachers in this community and we’re seeing the results of that now as people are leaving,” Powell said.
“Yes, I’m concerned that a lot of teachers are leaving but I also have understanding for that,” Moody said. “It’s been a really difficult few years for everyone.”
The women don’t expect the monthly bags of goodies will help stop teachers from leaving the classroom for good. They just want to let the teachers know parents give them an A-plus.
“When parents feel connected to teachers and teachers feel really supported and that parents have their back, that’s what makes them stay, ” Borchet said.
Every care package also contains a hand-written thank you note.
Subscribe here for $5, 10 or 20 monthly donation. You can also sign up a school.
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