Gifting Pens to the Kids In Need Foundation

At National Pen, we think of pens and pencils as a way to advertise and promote, but they have the power to do so much more. For the 15 million kids who come from families struggling with extreme poverty, school supplies can help unlock success in the classroom. That’s where the Kids In Need Foundation (KINF) comes in—their mission is to ensure every child is prepared to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need. In their 23 years, they have distributed more than $1 billion in supplies to kids who would otherwise go without. Isn’t that incredible?

Once we learned of this inspiring foundation, we knew we had to get involved. Whether its undelivered mail samples or pens from a trade show, National Pen Company donates products to KINF, which gets them into the hands of teachers and students who need them most.  They distribute school supplies both through direct donations to schools and through teacher resource centers. They operate a network of 43 teacher resource centers nationally, where teachers come in, choose what they need, and take it to their classroom – for free.

In just 2019, we’ve donated 3,000 (and growing!) palettes of writing instruments, which have been distributed in over 15 cities across the country.

Jennifer Lehman, the Director of Donor Relations & Gifts-In-Kind at KINF, explained the impact of these school supplies,

“Teachers have told us time and again what a difference it makes for classroom preparedness, participation, and self-esteem. These tools prepare kids to be contributing parts of society as adults. And partners like National Pen have been integral to getting these tools where they can have the greatest community impact.”

We encourage you to read more about KINF and share with us on Facebook or Instagram how you’re giving back this year!

If you’d like to learn more about National Pen’s efforts to be a better global citizen, check out our views on Charitable Giving & Social Responsibility.