Telegraph photos by GRACE PECCI Maxine Doherty, a Teacher and Paws Project Inc. (TAPP) volunteer, organizes jewelry in the new TAPPestry Thrift Store, which will open at 10 a.m. today. The store is located at 472 Amherst St., Unit 3 in Nashua.

NASHUA – Many teachers in the U.S. have to spend a portion of their paychecks to stock their classrooms with extra supplies, such as pencils and notebooks because those costs are often not figured into budgets. This may soon change for teachers in the Greater Nashua area, however.

Teacher and Paws Project Inc. (TAPP) is a 501(c)(3) pending nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure that the needs of students and classrooms are met. Officials hope for a complete opening next month.

The project began Jan. 31 and will serve as a member-based educational resource for educators in southern New Hampshire. It will strive to create a better world for people, animals and the environment.

TAPP, which is located at 472 Amherst Street, Unit 3 in Nashua, will be one store with two separate areas: TAPP Teachers Resource Center & TAPPestry Thrift Store.

For now, TAPPestry Thrift Store will have its soft opening at 10 a.m. today. This side of the store will be stocked with jewelry, clothes, furniture, books and other trinkets.

The thrift shop is accepting donations of these items:

Clothing, shoes, belts, scarves, handbags, backpacks, wallets, furniture, linens, towels, sheets, decorative pillows, blankets, comforters, quilts, decorative mirrors, collectibles, antiques, household items, toys, games, puzzles, picture frames, art, craft items books (including children’s), magazines, clocks, lamps, jewelry, silver, silver plate, DVDs, CDs, rugs, holiday decor, office accessories and other supplies.

TAPP requests that all donations be in “good working order, readily usable without assembly or repair, free of stains, dirt, mold, water damage or pet hair.”

All proceeds from the store will go directly to funding classroom supplies.

“The whole purpose (of TAPP) is to provide completely free or extremely low-cost products for teachers,” Maxine Doherty, mother of organization President Mary Doherty, said.

They are targeting teachers from schools with about 70% of students who are eligible for free and reduced lunch.

The store is open to all teachers who are teaching kindergarten through high school grades. Teachers from schools that do not have a high percentage of free and reduced lunch students can still become members in exchange for volunteering.

The center also offers free attendance for members at one TAPP-sponsored continuous education program/workshop to help teachers meet annual continuing education credits. Other seminars will center around the topics of challenging behavior, communication and teamwork, self-care and calming strategies.

Annual dues for members will be $20 for first-year teachers and $35 for all other teachers/educators.

While the store is set to have a soft opening today, the resource center’s grand opening is planned for July 27.

A full list of needed donations for the TAPP Teacher’s Resource Center is available at www.teachersandpaws.org/ways-you-can-help.

To learn more about TAPP, call 603-417-6761, like their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Teachers-and-Paws-Project-389602508311560/ or visit www.teachersandpaws.org/.

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