Stores or Companies That Donate to Title 1 Programs or Schools

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Title 1 is a federal funding program to provide assistance to support low-income students in elementary and secondary schools. The goal of Title 1 is to improve educational assessment scores by enhancing regular education. This funding allows schools to determine how money should be spent within certain guidelines. In some areas, even this additional funding is insufficient and schools rely on corporate donations to fund their programs.

1 Target and First Book

Low-income schools receive library makeovers thanks to Target.

First Book is a campaign aimed at creating a love of reading by giving students the opportunity to purchase their own books. Target has partnered with First Book to make over libraries in elementary schools serving at-risk students. In 2008, they worked with 375 schools and provided 190,000 books to these schools. In 2009, this was expanded to 1,750 schools.

2 Barnes and Noble & Wal-Mart

Access to books helps students learn.

Barnes and Noble organizes a holiday book drive for students in the Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD), Arizona. This has resulted in hundreds of new books being available for kids. The DVUSD has extensive corporate partnerships including: Best Buy, AAA Arizona, Wal-Mart and USAA. Wal-Mart's contribution includes providing undergarments and socks to students.

3 State Farm and Office Max

Many teachers buy supplies for their classrooms with their own money.

State Farm in Contra Costa County, California, donated school supplies --- including dry erase markers, poster board, pencils and paper --- to three different Title 1 schools in its area. Discounts offered by Office Max doubled the amount of supplies donated. The staff of the insurance company also volunteered in the schools by reading to students. Office Max provides school supplies directly to many Title 1 schools through the Kids in Need Foundation's resource centers around the country.

4 NBC and School Pride

GM donated a 2010 Camaro to help an automotive training course in one episode of School Pride.

In fall 2010, NBC launched School Pride, a reality-TV makeover show that renovates at-risk schools in low-income neighborhoods. The School Pride team works with students, teachers, parents and volunteers to renovate problems at schools. Corporations such as Wal-Mart, Microsoft, General Motors (including its OnStar division) and Home Depot all donate to the schools in exchange for product placement.

Based in Toronto, Tanya Gulliver has been writing professionally for more than 20 years. She is pursuing a doctorate in environmental studies focusing on catastrophic disasters. She was first published as a pre-teen, co-writing a weekly events column for her local paper where her goal was to frequently mention her friends and family in the paper.

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