AoR develops innovative programs
The Art of Hope
In the summer of 2017, Art of Recycle was recognized in the Lancaster Chamber's magazine "Lancaster Thriving"
for winning the 2016 #ImpactLancaster challenge with our innovative and successful program "Art is a Necessity". Our program involves distributing free materials to teachers in need of school supplies . Our self-sustaining program has strengthened and developed every year since.
As of October 2021, Art of Recycle has opened a 2500 sf Teacher Resource Center in Ephrata PA. AoR’s free teacher resources are now located in its own facility, adjacent to Art of Recycle’s Thrifty Craft Store.
There is a $35 yearly membership fee to access the resource center.
How AoR Teacher Resource Center Works
How Do I Get Free Teaching Supplies For My Students?
- Art of Recycle’s Teacher Resource Center is available to all non-profits, schools, home school co-ops, and organizations, and individual teachers who are paying for resources out of their own pocket for multiple students/clients who are not related to them. It is for programs who have little to no budget for classroom activities.
- To receive the benefits of accessing Art of Recycle's Teacher Resource Center, visit Art of Recycle at 27 Cloister Ave in downtown Ephrata and talk to one of our staff at the front counter area. We now have a resource center in Hanover, PA.
- Our Resource Center is going digital. We are finally able to save trees, by using fillable online forms that help us to track the impact of the resource program. Soon, you won’t need to carry a clipboard around.
- Bring a Driver’s license, and teacher ID or a letter from your organization stating that you have permission to receive resources in that organization‘s name. Receiving donations in the name of an organization without their permission is a felony. We will prosecute anyone that we discover is taking items from the resource center without the consent of the organization that they are accepting the donations for. You may not sell the resources that you receive.
- We have reinstated our membership fee to help with the upkeep of the Teacher Resource Center. You will be asked to pay a $35 yearly membership fee to access the resource center.
- After you show proof that you are a teacher, you will be provided with an Artsy Fartsy Unicorn Membership Card that you will need to enter the Teacher Resource Center.
- AoR’s friendly staff will provide you with a clipboard with an impact sheet attached. You must fill out an impact form every time you take materials from the free teacher section.
- Please keep the teacher area as neat and tidy as possible. It is staffed by generous volunteers and paid employees who work hard to make this program available for those in need. Please treat our staff and volunteers courteously.
- Homeschool parents who are not part of a co-op are not eligible for a membership in the teacher resource center, but AoR provides free resources and sometimes student snacks for all parents when those items are available. Check our free cart when you enter our facility.
- Everything in the AoR’s resource center is generously and kindly donated to Art of Recycle with the knowledge that those items will be used for the purpose of education. If you take items for your own personal use, or to sell online, then you are committing a crime. You will be banned from Art of Recycle’s facilities and issued a trespass notice that will be filed with the police department.
Craft activities in Ephrata PA