The holidays may be over, but the spirit of giving is stronger than ever at Mud Puddle Toys, which just donated more than $5,000 worth of toys, books and supplies to local teachers.
“My mom was a public school teacher, so going into this I knew that teachers pay for most of their own stuff out of their pocket,” said Mud Puddle owner Cassie Watt. “I got a huge response. The items will be used by people who really need it. It’s a win-win.”
Most of the donations are going to special education classrooms. Watt said she had no idea how much those classrooms need.
“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous in a town this wealthy that we have teachers, and the majority are special education teachers, who don’t have any supplies,” she said.
Watt added, “This is the little I can do to solve what I see is a systemic problem. I don’t think parents realize how little teachers have.”
This isn’t the first time Mud Puddle has donated to teachers and schools. Watt says she gave $150 wobble boards to every school in town, along with $700 worth of dolls and books to the Brown School.
“And we donated a huge chunk of stuff to the Brown PTO for their Christmas shop, where they sell everything for $1,” she said.
Watt says she’ll give a 30% discount to anyone who purchases items for special education classrooms.
“If you are a teacher and need supplies for your classroom, please contact me, and I will arrange to cover half of the cost of your supply needs,” she added. To learn more about donation opportunities, email Watt at splash@mudpuddletoys.com with the subject line: Teacher Donations.
Editor Leigh Blander is an experienced TV, radio and print journalist.
