A $100,000 donation by BJ’s Wholesale Club has financed every single “wish list” classroom project posted by Maine teachers on the crowd-sourcing website DonorsChoose.org, the company announced Wednesday.

The donation pays for 165 classroom projects, including requests for new chapter books for first-graders at Suzanne M. Smith Elementary School in Levant, tablets for Auburn Middle School students studying digital photography, animation and 3-D sculpting and supplies for daily hygiene essentials for needy students at Hall Elementary School in Portland.

“Every teacher and student should have the resources necessary for a successful school year,” said Kirk Saville, executive director of the company’s charitable foundation. “At BJ’s, we’re committed to helping families thrive by providing essentials to students and teachers, and we’re proud to fund all DonorsChoose.org projects in Maine with a $100,000 donation.”

Last year, Maine actress Anna Kendrick funded 31 classroom projects in Maine. During the 2015-16 school year, DonorsChoose.org helped fund 539 projects in Maine, for a total of more than $360,000.

DonorsChoose.org was started in 2000 by Charles Best, a high school teacher from The Bronx, New York, to help cover classroom costs not covered by school budgets. Educators request funding for a project, which is then vetted before the information is posted on the website. Donors can search for a project and make a contribution.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.