NBC 4 New York, Telemundo Kick Off Tri-State ‘Supporting Our Schools' Drive

NBC 4 New York / WNBC and Telemundo 47 New York / WNJU joined with Raymour & Flanigan collect more than 13,000 school supplies on Saturday as part of the third annual Supporting our Schools school supply drive.

Raymour & Flanigan also presented two checks for $7,500 each to the Boys & Girls Clubs and the United Way. 

The campaign continues through Sunday, August 18, at more than 60 Raymour & Flanigan locations across the Tri-State area.

All supplies collected will be distributed to local students by the United Way and local Boys & Girls Clubs.   

Visit NBCNewYork.com/Schools for a map of participating store locations and a “shopping list” of frequently-requested school supplies.  To access this map and “shopping list” in Spanish, visit Telemundo47.com/Escuelas.

“Purchasing school supplies can create a financial strain on families. The average cost of backpacks, notebooks and other important learning materials can often exceed $500 per child. This is why the school supplies donated through WNBC’s Supporting our Schools supply drive are so important – and why we encourage viewers to visit a Raymour & Flanigan location this Saturday to help a local student in need,” said Eric Lerner, President and General Manager of NBC 4 New York.

In 2018, viewers donated 23,175 individual supply items to students across the Tri-State area, including backpacks, notebooks and boxes of writing material. This was an increase of 60% from the campaign’s kick-off in 2017, when 15,709 individual supply items were collected.

“To succeed in school, our students need the tools to learn. Telemundo 47 recognizes that the cost of school supplies are often out-of-reach for many of our viewers.  We also know that teachers frequently dip into their own pockets to help their students. Working together with Raymour & Flanigan, our Apoyando a Nuestras Escuelas school supply drive will help prepare even more students for growth and success in the classroom – and beyond,” said Cristina Schwarz, President and General Manager of Telemundo 47.

Throughout the campaign, Raymour & Flanigan will host school supply collections at their 62 Tri-State locations. This is the third year that Raymour & Flanigan has served as the lead sponsor of the Tri-State campaign. Based on the growth and success of this drive across the Tri-State, Raymour & Flanigan has expanded their partnership with NBC and Telemundo stations into Philadelphia and Hartford, in addition to portions of Upstate New York.

“Giving back and supporting the communities we call home is at the very core of our company culture.  Our associates and managers look forward to this important campaign each year and we cannot wait to join NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47 in Supporting our Schools across the Tri-State area,” said Liz Dwyer, Director of Media & Special Events for Raymour & Flanigan.

NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47’s Supporting Our Schools supply donations drive is one of many key, signature community initiatives supporting viewers across the Tri-State area.  This includes the popular Weather Kids weather safety education program, which has provided personalized weather safety instruction for more than 2,000 students at 31 elementary schools across the Tri-State area.  It also includes the annual Project Innovation grant challenge, rewarding local non-profits using innovative approaches to solve everyday challenges, as well as Clear The Shelters™, the station’s popular pet adoption drive that returns to the Tri-State area on August 17 for a fifth year in a row.

Supporting Our Schools is a month-long classroom needs awareness campaign spearheaded by NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal that includes NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47. 

Since 2017, NBC and Telemundo owned stations in the U.S., and Puerto Rico have raised more than $2.7 million in cash and collcted nearly one million school supplies for teachers and students in need. 

To learn about “Supporting Our Schools” efforts, visit SupportingOurSchools.com or ApoyandoANuestrasEscuelas.com and follow the efforts on social media by following @NBCNewYork, @Telemundo47 and hashtags #SupportingOurSchools / #ApoyandoANuestrasEscuelas.