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PENCIL surpasses $20 million milestone in free supplies to MNPS

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Teachers put in a lot of time and money to make sure students succeed. Buying classroom supplies can really add up, but thankfully there are resources to help.

On Thursday, the PENCIL resource center will celebrate a huge milestone of giving away $20 million in school supplies to Metro teachers since it opened 18 years ago.

The DG PENCIL Box in West Nashville allows teachers to come once a month at no cost and stock up on basic supplies.

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has been a sponsor since 2022 and has been crucial to achieving this milestone.

Last school year, nearly $3 million of supplies were distributed through teacher shopping, pop-ups, giveaways and even through school deliveries. It’s made PENCIL the largest distributor of free school supplies in the state.

Remembering Eudora Boxley, a trailblazing TV cook from WLAC's early days

I LOVE Forrest's stories on the history of NewsChannel 5 as we celebrate our 70th anniversary. Here's a story I wasn't familiar with until recently. Eudora Boxley had a live cooking show in the early days of the station. She may have been the first black on air at NewsChannel 5 and perhaps, one of the first African Americans to have a TV cooking show anywhere in the country. It wasn't until her grandson reached out to me that I even heard of Ms. Boxley. Thankfully, I was able to connect him with Forest to learn more about this great nugget in NewsChannel 5 history.

-Lelan Statom