OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Ask any educator and they’ll tell you the job can get expensive – spending hundreds of dollars each year on their students.

Thanks to the “teacher store” funded by charity – many from across the state won’t be facing that price alone this year.

From smaller items like paper and pens to larger items like chairs and filing cabinets – teachers say it all makes a big difference.

“It’s just a blessing because this is stuff I won’t have to buy out of my own pocket,” said Stacey Johnston, a teacher at Guthrie Public Schools. 

Johnston worked for years as a secretary at the school before stepping into the classroom to become a teacher – and finding out the cost.

“I spend probably $500 per year just out of my own out-of-pocket expenses,” she said. 

That’s where Feed the Children, OG&E and Boomerang Diner step in – providing free classroom supplies to Pre-K through 12th grade teachers at the annual teacher store in Oklahoma City.

Here, teachers from pre-approved schools can re-stock their classrooms once a month for free.

“It’s like you won the lottery – yeah – very exciting,” said Jeannie Frazier, a teacher at Binger-Oney Public Schools. 

“Everything we do is for them and to better them – the fact that we have this place to come and get items that can help us do our jobs better is a blessing – it’s awesome,” said Johnston. 

The store doesn’t just help the teachers, it also helps students in need.

“Some kids can’t ever buy a book and we’re able to take 1-2 boxes of books back and each child can have their own book so it’s very important for our students,” Frazier said. 

The teacher store in Oklahoma City hosted about 5,500 teacher visits in Fiscal Year 20.