This week, 2016 OSI Community Fellow, Melissa Badeker and her project, Baltimore Teacher Supply Swap, was featured in the Baltimore Sun. Badeker and co-founder Kathleen Williams started the swap in part because they had so many unused supplies at the end of each school year that were wasted.
“We’re getting supplies that are excess and teachers are swamping this place to get those supplies,” she said. Badeker is using her fellowship to expand the project, extending the hours of operation as well as increasing the supply of materials. She also wants to minimize the amount of money teachers spend out-of-pocket by creating a better inventory tracking system that includes teachers in the process so they get the supplies they need the most.
Last week, Badeker was on WBAL TV discussing the project, and in the fall, she spoke to Sheilah Kast on WYPR’s On the Record.