May 5 through 9 is National Teacher Appreciation Week, and one local restaurant has stepped up to help a Tyrone teacher stock her classroom with essential supplies.

From now until May 10, Jean-Os Pizza in Grazerville is giving customers a chance to win a $100 Jean-Os gift card by donating supplies and/or money to a Tyrone Area Elementary School Preschool classroom.

The fundraiser was the idea of Jean-Os’ manager, Stephenie Lesser.

“I wanted to give back to the community.” Lesser said. “What better way to give back than to show an amazing teacher in our area how much we love and appreciate her hard work and dedication.”

Lezzer selected Terri Wilkinson’s preschool classroom because her son is in Wilkinson’s class and she admires her dedication to her students.

“I’ve seen firsthand how Ms.Terri goes above and beyond for her kids, spending her own money for them,” Lesser said. “To her, it’s not just a job but a passion.”

They will accept donations of classroom supplies such as baby wipes, tissues, washable markers, hand sanitizer, paper towels, Clorox wipes, foaming hand soaps, seasonal stickers, and other classroom items.

“We will use the supplies to supplement the activities we do throughout the year,” Wilkinson said. “You would be surprised at how many glue sticks, paper towels, and wipes Pre K goes through in a month. Any extra supplies will be shared with the entire Pre K team.”

They are also accepting monetary donations, which will be used to purchase supplies.

All donations will earn raffle tickets for the $100 Jean-Os gift card raffle. The winner will be announced on May 12, at the end of Teacher Appreciation Week.

Wilkinson said that she is honored to be the recipient of the donations.

“It really means a lot when the community comes together to support teachers. We have a very hard job, which we love beyond words, but having the community show their support for what we do makes it all worthwhile,” Wilkinson said.

Wilkinson said she hopes to inspire other local businesses and community organizations to do something similar for the many deserving TASD teachers who work tirelessly to support and encourage students to succeed.

Lesser said that she is already thinking about next year and would like her customers to nominate other teachers who go above and beyond for their students.

“This is something I want to continue to do for years to come,” said Lesser.