Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Across Western New York, several school districts are getting ready to welcome back students for the 2026-27 academic year.
For thousands of students and teachers every year, being supplied with the right amount of school supplies can be challenging, especially given the cost of many supplies needed on a daily basis in the classroom.
That's where local organizations like The Teacher's Desk come in to help support many across the region.
"The Teacher's Desk is a store where teachers shop for free for students in need," said director John Mika in an interview with WBEN. "We have 6,000 teachers that come through our doors every year. We open up in August, we just wrapped up this past Saturday - three Saturdays for shopping for teachers, 300 teachers came through for $300,000 in free school supplies and hygiene items and books. We were booked immediately, the reservations were taken immediately online, and now we open up after Labor Day and then we continue until May for the rest of the 6,000 teachers to shop with us."
The Teacher's Desk also continues to have its annual backpack program for kids called "PanchoPacks", in memory of Bills superfan Ezra Castro, also known as "Pancho Billa".
"That started in 2019 when he passed away, and said he wanted school supplies to be given to kids and not flowers at his funeral," Mika said. "Now we make 26,000 backpacks a year filled with supplies, all kinds of supplies, including a little football for every kid to remember. And we just finished distributing, we have about 600 left for folks that are getting them, and that's it for this year. We'll start prepping them for 2027 in a couple of weeks when we all get back and volunteer groups start helping us out again."
When The Teacher's Desk started PanchoPacks, the organization started out with 12,000 backpacks. Every year since, the need for school supplies continues to grow.
"It's continuous. It never stops," Mika said. "We have some great sponsors that help us keep the prices really down for a donation for us. The store itself, the teacher shop, is absolutely free for $6 million in product that goes out. PanchoPacks, we ask for a $10 donation on a backpack to help us recover some of the cost that goes into these backpacks. But we make 26,000 of them, and the numbers are just increasing. It never stops. The calls never stop, especially this time of year."
Mika says the core supplies are always critical for what the organization does, and every teacher gets all the core supplies they need to get a good start to the school year for the kids.
However, there is one group of products that the demand has surged for: Hygiene products.
"Toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, especially soap, shampoo, combs. All that kind of stuff we give away now in our backpacks and in the store. None of that is free, it's all purchased," Mika noted. "We have importers that we get great prices from, but all that stuff takes up the first two aisles of our store in order to cover the teachers and the needs that are out there. I's just amazing the amount of hygiene supplies that you wouldn't think that would be a major ask for a teacher-free store, but it sure is now."
And while the distribution for school supplies is wrapping up just before the 2026-27 school year, Mika says it's not too late to ensure students and teachers in the classroom are properly stocked on school supplies this academic year.
"If they send us an email at info@theteachersdesk.org, we might be able to help," Mika noted. "The best route for us is shopping for the kids through their teachers. That's why we have 13,000 teachers in our database, and 6,000 of those folks are able to get $6 million of supplies August through May. So a lot of people think The Teacher's Desk is done after school begins, but really we're just getting started. Shopping goes right through December, and then the second semester, teachers can re-shop starting in January until mid-May."
Mika also says The Teacher's Desk is constantly looking for volunteers to help out on a year-round basis.
"Always looking for corporate and individuals, retirees, volunteers. We have 265 weekly volunteers at the desk, and a good portion of those - I would say 40% of those - are retired teachers. They used to shop with us, they retire and they come join us for volunteering. So it's really full circle for them," he said. "But if anybody would like to volunteer, volunteering at TheTeachersDesk.org will give you the info."
