YMCA of the Triangle Named Inaugural “Valedictorian” as More Than 100 Community Drop-Off Locations Help Fuel WakeEd’s Largest Supply Drive Ever
RALEIGH, N.C. — WakeEd Partnership today announced the winners of its first-ever Back-to-School Supply Drive Competition, capping the organization’s largest and most successful summer school supply drive to date.
The YMCA of the Triangle earned the competition’s top honor as the inaugural Valedictorian, collecting the most points during the summer-long competition to support Tools4Schools, WakeEd’s free classroom supply store for Wake County Public School System educators.
This year’s record-setting effort stretched across Wake County, with more than 100 community drop-off locations making it easier than ever for people to donate school supplies close to where they live, work and shop. Staples, UNC Health and the YMCA of the Triangle provided the largest networks of public collection sites, joined by businesses, nonprofits, churches and other community organizations that opened their doors as donation locations. Many of those partners also organized their own employee, member or customer supply drives.
Together, the community donated more than $207,028 in brand new school supplies to help stock the shelves at Tools4Schools for the new school year and beyond. This figure does not include the hundreds of stuffed backpacks, hygiene kits and flow kits donated that Tools4Schools provides teachers, or the hundreds of gently used office and classroom supplies we distribute all year.
And the numbers tell quite a story:
- More than 40,000 pencils
- 6,632 notebooks/composition books
- 34,750 markers
- 571 stuffed backpacks
- $30,000 in monetary donations
- $207,028+ total value of donated supplies
“This was by far our biggest Back-to-School Supply Drive ever, and what made it so special was seeing the entire community get involved,” said Keith Poston, President of WakeEd Partnership. “With more than 100 businesses and organizations across Wake County where people could drop off supplies, our partners made it incredibly easy to participate. Some organizations collected thousands of supplies. Others filled a box, donated online or simply dropped off a few items while they were out shopping. It all added up to an incredible show of support for Wake County teachers and students.”
New this year, WakeEd added a friendly competition to the annual supply drive, awarding points based on the supplies and financial contributions collected by participating organizations. Groups reaching designated point levels earned recognition as Excellence Award, Honor Roll and Dean’s List recipients, while the organization earning the most points overall was named Valedictorian.
2026 Back-to-School Supply Drive Competition Winners
VALEDICTORIAN — Highest Point Total
YMCA of the Triangle — 3,162 points
DEAN’S LIST — 1,000+ Points
Plexus Corp (2,683 points), Raleigh Orthopedic (2,602 points), Buddha’s Light International Organization (1,613 points), Apex Summer Squad (1,300 points), Parker Poe Attorneys & Counselors at Law (1,218 points), West Shore Home (1,031 points), Optima Engineering (1,008 points), Northwestern Mutual (1,008 points), Johnson Subaru of Cary (1,000 points)
HONOR ROLL — 500+ Points
NC Farm Bureau (978 points), Kinsinger Campo & Associates (790 points), Cline Design (727 points), Accenture H&PS (672 points), New City Design Group (621 points), Metlife (596 points)
EXCELLENCE AWARD — 200+ Points
Pendo.io (486 points), Wake Dems Downtown Area (350 points), Children’s Lighthouse of Raleigh (216 points)
“We created the competition to add a little fun and friendly rivalry to something our community already cares deeply about,” Poston said. “It worked. But the real winners are the teachers who walk into Tools4Schools and find the supplies they need for their classrooms and students without having to pay for them out of their own pockets.”
The YMCA of the Triangle made the drive a community-wide effort, with YMCA locations across Wake County serving as public collection sites throughout the summer.
The community effort continued behind the scenes as hundreds of volunteers helped WakeEd receive, unpack, count, sort and stock the enormous influx of supplies at Tools4Schools.
Since opening in 2022, Tools4Schools has distributed more than $2 million in free classroom supplies to Wake County educators. Teachers from every school in the Wake County Public School System have used Tools4Schools, helping reduce the amount educators spend out of their own pockets on basic classroom materials.
“Back-to-school season may be over, but the need for supplies isn’t,” Poston added. “Teachers shop at Tools4Schools throughout the school year, so we will continue to need donations, volunteers and community partners to keep those shelves stocked. This summer showed what Wake County can accomplish when we come together to support our teachers.”
WakeEd Partnership thanks every business, organization, community group, volunteer and individual donor who contributed to the 2026 Back-to-School Supply Drive.
For more information about Tools4Schools, including how to donate supplies, make a financial contribution, volunteer or host a supply drive during the school year, visit https://wakeed.org/tools4schools/
About WakeEd Partnership
WakeEd Partnership (WakeEd) is a business-backed nonprofit dedicated to supporting the teachers, students, and families of Wake County Public Schools. Founded in 1983, WakeEd works to mobilize the community, support classrooms, and champion strong public schools for all students. Learn more at www.wakeed.org
