I began volunteering at Ruth's in 2005 when they were still working out of Bessey School in Scarborough, Maine. At first, I wanted to be involved to get the experience of volunteering. One day, a first grade teacher came in and said that she didn't know how she would get books for her kids if it weren't for Ruth's. I love children, so hearing this made me want to continue to help out. Seeing the community support Ruth's as they were faced with the challenge of having to move out of the Bessey school was also very touching. People and corporations came along side Ruth's to make sure that this amazing resource would not have to close it's doors. Today, Ruth's not only puts supplies into the hands of teachers (which then go to children); now, non-profits and the general public are able to benefit from the donated supplies. The non-profit members of Ruth's have a huge impact on my community - the new public store allows Maine's small business owners a place to go to get discounted supplies, and saves them TONS of money. I could go on and on about Ruth's, but the best way to learn about what they do is to go there and check it out for yourself. There should be a resource center in every major city in the U.S. - Why do businesses throw away brand new supplies? Why should we allow those things to clutter up landfills? If you are "Green", you'll LOVE Ruth's. If you are an educator - you'll NEED Ruth's, and if you are an artist, you won't believe the number of items available to you. Check it out!
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- EIN 04-3389715
- office@ruths.org
- 207-699-5565
- 39 Blueberry Rd Portland ME 04102 USA
- www.ruths.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Education, Environment, Recycling
Mission: Our mission is to ensure that all students, from pre-k through high school, have the basic supplies and creative tools for literacy, STEAM and health education through the environmentally-conscious distribution of donated supplies.
Results: Each day, throughout the school year, children in Maine attend school without the needed pencils, paper, and other basic supplies. At the same time, businesses through out the United States dispose of these same basic items. 3R's transfers those unwanted supplies to children and their teachers. It is working. Since 1994, 3R's has given away more than $80 million worth of surplus furniture, paper, books, office supplies and computers to Maine schools and non-profits.
Target demographics: Students and teachers from pre-k through high school
Direct beneficiaries per year: Over 70,000 students and over 8,000 teachers/staff at nearly 200 schools
Geographic areas served: All of Maine and parts of New Hampshire
Programs: Teacher Store - Teachers can pick up supplies for use in their classrooms at no cost to the individual teacher. Backpacks - We fill 5,000 backpacks with school supplies every year and distribute them to low-income students throughout Maine. Computer Re-Life - We take computers and related technology from businesses and make it available to schools and nonprofits for a small handling fee. Recycling - If we cannot reuse or re-purpose something we recycle it if possible. Overall, there is very little that comes into our building that is thrown away.