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Galesburg teachers get a surprise for their classrooms

“The more we can provide to our teachers the better, so they can have all the resources they need,” Pio said.

GALESBURG, ILLINOIS  --  Almost every teacher in the country spends their own money on classroom supplies. Two Peoria women, who own The School House Express, decided to pitch in pitching in, and packed a bus to Galesburg to make sure teachers have everything they need.

"There`s a little bit of everything in here," co- owner Heidi Pio said. "Anything a teacher could want is probably in here today."

The School House Express is a store in Peoria, but as of 2018, they also have a traveling RV to bring school supplies to teachers for free.

"They will not be charged," Pio said. "There is no catch. It's all just because we want to give back to the communities we grew up in."

They picked the Galesburg school district because this is where Pio graduated high school.

"I'm interested to see if any of my old teachers show up," Pio said.

They invited all the teachers in the district. That is more than 300.

"This is amazing," Galesburg teacher Laura Saey said. "I'm beside myself right now with excitement."

"I got something that was appropriate for the art room, so that was nice, but i especially liked it because it was in Spanish," Art teacher Colleen Noonan said.

All the items on the bus are donated and they range from every grade level.

"The more we can provide to our teachers the better, so they can have all the resources they need," Pio said.

Each teacher also got gift cards ranging from $5 to $50.

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