EAGLE, Idaho — Idaho students are getting ready to head back to school. Did you know school starts in the West Ada and Boise School Districts on Aug. 14. Other school districts start soon after – it's coming up fast.
Teachers are busy getting their classrooms ready for their students and Crave Kitchen & Bar in Eagle is helping them out in a really special way.
"We've been here since 2020. That was not planned to open a restaurant during COVID, but that's what happened, and we were embraced by the local community," said Tara Morandi, one of the owners of Crave. "Eagle has been incredible to us, and we have people coming from Boise, Nampa and Meridian. Pretty much from all over."
Crave is doing something really special this summer for teachers. Morandi said she was shocked to find out how much money our teachers spend each year on supplies for their own classrooms.
"Myself and my husband, and our other Crave partners, are parents," Morandi said. "I had no idea that teachers spent their own money like that. It just blew my mind."
The restaurant started a campaign a few weeks ago called "The Greater Give Back." They put the word out on social media to let teachers know about it.
"This is our third year for the teacher give back, and we are donating $25,000 to clear as many Amazon wish lists as we can for teachers," Morandi said. "What happens is they put their wish list links on Facebook or Instagram, and we have had an overwhelming response. The first year we did it, we pledged $10,000 then we went up to $20,000 and now we are at $25,000. Last year we cleared 174 wish lists for teachers from across the Boise School District and the West Ada School District. We're fulfilling items like pencils, erasers, electric sharpeners, but also some teachers have asked for clothes for students in need. They are also asking for snacks for their students who don't have access to food at home. Snacks is a huge one. That's really emotional for me to see that."
The teachers that Crave has helped over the years with this campaign are so grateful.
"I ran into one mom who is a teacher, she got teary eyed and gave me a big hug and said 'you guys are such heroes,' and she was crying and I was crying," Morandi said. "We're not the heroes, they are the heroes."
Crave also gives customers the chance to give to the effort.
"If you come into Crave, round up on your bill, or add a donation, that money goes straight to the teacher campaign," Morandi said. "Every dollar helps. Any amount makes a big difference in this. You can also go to our Facebook, Instagram, grab a wish list and fulfill it if you have the means to do it."
This campaign ends Thursday, Aug. 1, but Crave plans to keep bringing it back year after year.
"I would love to continue doing this as long as we possibly can," Morandi said.
To sign up for this give back or to help donate, visit Crave Kitchen & Bar's Facebook page or Instagram page for more information.
