The Sharing Tree provides school supplies to students in need in the Hudson & Somerset
Wisconsin school districts. Additionally since 2019 we initiated the Mid Year Teacher School Supply
Replenishment. Our goals are to provide students with the necessary supplies to help them succeed
in their classrooms and to equip teachers with the supplies they need before they spend their own
money.
We provide school supplies to students in pre-school through 12th grade. What makes our program
unique is that during registration the students identify their school and grade, and we provide the
supplies specifically requested by their classroom teacher rather than a backpack filled with random
supplies. They arrive on their first day of school with the same supplies as their peers.
The Sharing Tree began in 2002 after Cindy’s encounter the year before with the custodian at the
former Stillwater mall. Cindy was volunteering with The Caring Tree, the school supply program that
operated in every school district in Minnesota, when the custodian approached and asked if he
could register his 3 sons. During his break he returned the completed registrations but his sons
attended school in Hudson, WI. As a result she had to deny him assistance but promised him this
program would be in Hudson the following year. Beginning in 2002 Cindy & Ken Corbett and their
three children organized and operated The Sharing Tree out of their home. Since its inception The
Sharing Tree has provided much needed school supplies to approximately 4,186 Hudson and
Somerset students. Now under the Directorship of Cindy Leonard, formerly Corbett, and with
numerous volunteers The Sharing Tree assisted 438 students in 2023.
Families register online here at our website. In 2020 we made our website able to translate into
Spanish with the click of a button. As a result 20% of our registrants were Latinx up from 8% the
year before. After registration, school supplies are gathered in one of two ways: 1) student
sponsorship, where supporters of The Sharing Tree shop for a specific student (identified only by
grade, gender, and age); or 2) The Sharing Tree uses grants, cash contributions, fundraising, and in
kind donations to meet the remainder (the majority) of the unsponsored students’ needs.
When all of the supplies have been purchased we hold a School Supply Bundling Night at the
Hudson branch of WESTconsin Credit Union. Community volunteers come together to bundle the
teacher requested school supplies for the registered students, anonymously.
The culmination of our program year happens on our Distribution Nights. Hudson’s is held at the
credit union and at Somerset Middle School for Somerset families. Families and students arrive,
pick up their pre-bundled school supplies and then choose their own backpacks.
In 2019 we initiated the Mid Year Teacher School Supply Replenishment Program where teachers
and specialists can request supplies they or their students may be low or out of and we will provide
and deliver them. Since 2019 we have donated approximately $7274.00 in supplies during the Mid
Year Replenishment, $2910.00 in supplies this year alone. The last thing we want is to have
teachers use their own money to supply their classrooms.
Here are some comments from our most recent survey from from the families we serve:
“We have never needed help and have been quite ashamed to have to partake in these donations,
especially knowing so many other people are in need of the help. Everybody we have had
encounters with at this donation site has been 100%amazing❤ With our son being able to pick his
backpack to the kind smiles we received in directions to something that was so unfamiliar we
appreciate all you do to help families that need a little extra help these days. Much love”
“THANK YOU! This is a HUGE help and sooo beyond appreciate the blessing of supplies for school.”
“Thank you for your continued dedication to serve our local communities!”
Here are some comments from the educators we’ve assisted through our Mid Year Teacher Replenishment:
“Thank you so much for serving our schools! Couldn’t do it without you!”
“I began teaching three new classes this year and thought I would have an ample budget but turns
out I don’t. Thank you in advance if you are able to help.”
“Thank you so much for the opportunity to get more items for my students. We have been falling
short for quite some time. Thank you so much! I truly appreciate your consideration.”
“I was excited to hear about this program from my school. Thanks for providing and replenishing our
classroom supplies. What a wonderful and helpful organization!!”
“First and foremost thank you for your generosity in making sure the needs for the students and
teachers within the area! What a relief and benefit to our student’s learning!”
You can review out our bylaws here.