Local teacher turns to crowdfunding to raise money for school supplies

NORTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- You won't just find students and their parents back to school shopping these days, but teachers too.

From pencils to notebooks, glue, crayons - just about everything you find in a well stocked school in and around Philadelphia is typically purchased by the teachers out of pocket.

But now, one North Philadelphia educator has found a creative way to finance her 4th grade classroom.

"It's the little things, like new colored pencils, that get Toula Grivas - a 4th grade teacher at Cayuga Promise Elementary in North Philadelphia excited to start the new school year.

But those little things cost a lot.

"I was just making a list of what I need to do to get my classroom up and running this year and I went into shock and I was like, I need help. I cannot do this on my own," said Grivas.

The city of Philadelphia gives every teacher a $100 stipend to stock their classroom with essentials, money that Grivas says only goes so far. The rest rests on the shoulders of the teachers themselves.

"I didn't spend a lot of money last year and I spent $900. It's not a lot of money. I actually know teachers that spend thousands," she said.

This summer, the single mom started to worry.

"How was I going to fund my classroom this year? Should I work another job? Or should I just ask people for help?" she wondered.

And that's just what she did, with her Go Fund Me page called: My 4th Grade Classroom.

In just 2 weeks, she met her $800 goal.

"Things are showing up in the mail, things are showing up on my door step. I am overwhelmed. I am so excited that people are excited about helping," said Grivas.

That money will also help her buy extra uniforms and other essentials for students who may otherwise go without.

"We make care packages that have things like toothpaste and deodorant and feminine products," she said.

The school's principal says this social media fueled fundraising is keeping the school well stocked.

"They are using Facebook, Twitter, everything to get the word out and its really great," said Jason Carrion, Principal of Cayuga Promise Elementary.

And Grivas is keeping her go fund me page going, with the plan to pay it forward.

"So anything that's donated from here on in will actually go to another teacher that needs it," she said.

And Grivas is not alone. Go Fund Me says more 141,000 teachers across the nation have raised More than $17 million dollars this year alone.

To donate to Grivas's Go Fund Me page, visit: http://www.gofundme.com/3ua28jfks