Push for Pencils drive seeks supplies before CPS classes start Wednesday

Hyde Park, Oakley and Mount Lookout residents looking to help stock classrooms before Cincinnati Public Schools classes start Aug. 19, have a nearby option.

Crayons and Beyond, the 29-year-old organization formerly known as Crayons to Computers, is in the middle of its annual Push for Pencils campaign. The drive, which runs through September, collects colored pencils, notebooks, crayons, markers, highlighters, mechanical pencils, index cards and composition books for teachers at schools where at least 55% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

"When you're struggling to make ends meet in your family, school supplies is not the first thing on your list," president and CEO Kirstin Eismin-Henry told WCPO. "If you're trying to make sure that you have food on the table, being able to get all those supplies that you need for your student is not a top priority."

Eismin-Henry, who started July 6 after more than 18 years in nonprofit leadership, including roles at Springer School and Center and the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati, leads an organization that has distributed more than $200 million in supplies since 1997. Crayons and Beyond currently serves 559 qualifying schools across 16 counties, reaching more than 120,000 students and 11,000 teachers.

The nonprofit's flagship Teacher Resource Center at 1350 Tennessee Ave. in Cincinnati operates like a free store for eligible educators. Registered CPS teachers pay a $30 annual access fee, then shop for what their classrooms need. The store is open Tuesday through Thursday, 2:30 to 6:30 p.m., and on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

How residents can help

Neighbors have three ways to pitch in:

Donate supplies during the Push for Pencils campaign. Drop off pencils, crayons, filler paper, markers (washable or dry erase), highlighters, notebooks and composition books at the Tennessee Avenue location during store hours.
Volunteer to restock shelves, assist teacher-shoppers and keep the store running.
Host a drive. Register a team at crayonsandbeyond.org, set a collection goal and gather items. Questions go to [email protected] or 513-482-6821.

Financial donations are also accepted through the website.

Beyond the store

Crayons and Beyond also runs Hubbard's Cupboards, a partnership with the Sam Hubbard Foundation that places supply closets stocked with school materials, hygiene products and snacks inside 40 tri-state schools serving more than 18,000 students. According to the organization's 2026 teacher survey of Hubbard's Cupboard schools, 89% of educators said that without the cupboards, they would spend their own money on basic supplies. The current school list does not include Hyde Park, Oakley or Mount Lookout campuses, though the program has grown from 36 schools earlier this year.

The organization has also launched a $6.1 million capital campaign aiming to double the number of students and teachers served by the 2030-31 school year. Early fundraising has reached 83% of that goal, according to the nonprofit's website.

Push for Pencils donations are accepted through September at the Tennessee Avenue store during regular hours.