HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Tax Collector's Office is collecting school supplies for public school teachers throughout the month of July at all nine of its locations across the county.
The tax collector's offices are commonly referred to as Florida’s motor vehicle offices, where drivers get their licenses and vehicle tags.
The supply drive benefits the Hillsborough Education Foundation's Teaching Tools Supply Resource Center, where public school teachers can shop for classroom supplies at no cost.
Nancy Milan, the Hillsborough County tax collector, said the program has been running for nearly two decades and has grown each year.
"Every year the donation supply amounts keep growing. We've averaged about 37,000 items in a given year of people bringing in. We count every item just because we want to make sure how we can measure and gauge how well we're doing, and our team just loves it," Milan said.
The office's 400 team members participate in the drive, as do customers. Milan said many staff members have children in public schools and understand the need firsthand.
"A lot of folks right here in our offices have kids in public school and know that there's always a need for something and that many of our teachers are always paying out of their own pockets for supplies to have everything ready for when those kids walk into those classrooms," Milan said.
Staff members also compete to see which office can collect the most donations. Jacqueline Rivera, one of the team leaders for the school supply drive, said she helps motivate her coworkers to participate.
"I'm passionate, helping my coworkers to like get donations and we can help the organizations that we are partnered with," Rivera said.
Milan said the drive reflects the office's broader commitment to the community.
"It promotes community engagement, teamwork. We have some competition to see who can get the most donations within an office, and they love decorating and just celebrating and giving back," Milan said.
The drive runs through July 31. Donations can be dropped off at any of the nine Hillsborough County Tax Collector offices.
To find a location, click here.
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