Classrooms across the country are alive with possibility—students are building new connections, imagining colorful new worlds, and discovering exciting new concepts; teachers continue to spark a flame of curiosity within their students and help give them the confidence to pursue the fascinations that are taking root. But by this time of year, that momentum is met with an all too familiar challenge: the supplies that started the year full of promise are now running low. 

Markers dry out. Notebooks fill up. Pencils disappear faster than they can be sharpened. Teachers, ever resourceful, stretch what’s left as far as it will go—reusing folders, rationing gluesticks, and buying more out of their own pockets. In fact, 100% of teachers report spending their own paychecks to fill these gaps, because they refuse to let a missing pencil stand between a student and their potential. 

At Kids In Need Foundation, we know that when classrooms are fully stocked, confidence grows, creativity flourishes, and learning can continue without interruption. That’s why Ready, Set, Restock exists—a campaign built to reignite learning for the second half of the school year. To ensure teachers have the tools they need to keep that spark alive, and equip every student with what they need to finish the year as strong as they started.

Across the nation, teachers are working tirelessly to sustain the energy and excitement that fuels their classrooms. By midyear, the rhythm of the classroom starts to shift. The fresh notebooks from August are filled with ideas. The once-new crayons are worn to nubs. Markers dry out, pencils break, and glue sticks disappear almost as fast as they dry. According to our Teacher Insight Survey:

• 58% of students start the year without enough supplies,
• 75% of supplies are depleted by winter break,
• and by spring, 94% are gone.

And yet, the vibrancy inside those classrooms—the curiosity, the creativity, the determination—remains just as strong. What’s missing are the supplies to keep it all going. And teachers continue to show up for their students. They stretch what’s left, they spend their own money, and they find ways to make learning not just happen, but be exciting.

As educator Cassie McLain put it, “I think sometimes there’s this idea that you get school supplies at the beginning of the year and it lasts the whole year. Even if kids bring school supplies at the beginning of the year, you go through pencils, you go through erasers, you go through markers, you go through notebooks—they’re using them!”

These supplies aren’t just materials; they’re the building blocks of education. This is the heartbeat of Ready, Set, Restock—a midyear movement to ensure that classrooms never run on empty. Its mission is to refill classrooms with opportunity, to make sure students have the tools they need to keep growing, and to make sure teachers like Cassie never have to choose between their students’ needs and their own resources. And when communities come together to support that mission, classrooms regain the momentum that makes the second half of the year powerful.

This giving season, with your help, we’re working to reach our goal to restock 10,000 classrooms so students everywhere can finish the year strong. Because learning doesn’t slow down—and neither should the support behind it.

For seven years, Five Below has helped Kids In Need Foundation transform classrooms into places where creativity and confidence can thrive. Rooted in the belief that every child deserves the tools to dream big, Five Below has contributed more than $14 million in product donations, over 2.8 million backpacks since the start of the partnership and another 579,000 backpacks in 2025 alone, helping us reach students and teachers in every corner of the country.

From coast to coast, their donations stock shelves in our Teacher Resource Centers, fill kits through Supply A Student, and bring relief to educators who often spend their own money to keep their classrooms stocked throughout the year. Five Below has also stood beside us at every major moment, championing Teacher Appreciation Month, participating in Grand Opening Week, and supporting the efforts that keep teachers seen, valued, and uplifted.

As John Caruso, Five Below’s Vice President of Brand Marketing, shared, “From providing backpacks for children in need to supporting teachers who often spend their own money on creating great classroom experiences, Five Below is dedicated to an amazing and fun learning environment for every student.”

With additional teacher discounts during Back-to-School, Five Below continues to affirm their belief that every family—and every classroom—deserves access to resources that help students thrive. Their impact is woven into classrooms nationwide—and it’s making learning accessible, joyful, and possible.

Restock their desks. Restore their confidence.

As we look toward the second half of the school year, we’re inviting you to help us keep classrooms stocked and spirits high. Through Ready, Set, Restock, you can directly support teachers and students. A gift of 10 dollars supplies a student, and 250 dollars supplies an entire classroom—providing teachers like Cassie with what they need to focus on what matters most: keeping the learning going with their students. 

This Giving Tuesday (Dec. 2nd), help us restock, refresh and reignite learning—so every student can finish the school year strong.