LIHUE — Kauai High School teacher and coach Marissa Purcel was the first teacher to take advantage of Kumu’s Cupboard opening Friday in its new location adjacent to the Great Harvest Bread Company.
“It just worked out,” Purcell said. “I went in to check out my classroom for the first time today.”
Elyse Litvack of Kumu’s Cupboard said there were several other teachers visiting the new location, even though it was yet to open.
“We have a lot of new features for educators in this space,” Litvack said. “One of the biggest changes is we’re opening on Sundays. More than 60 percent of teachers we surveyed indicated they wanted Kumu’s to be open on Sunday.”
Kumu’s Cupboard new hours include Tuesdays and Fridays from 3:30 to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.
Kumu’s will offer special back-to-school hours starting July 23 when it opens from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. These hours will be in effect on July 25, July 28 and July 30. Kumu’s will be open from 3:30 to 7 p.m. on July 24, July 27, July 31 and Aug. 2. July 29, a Sunday, will have the 1 to 4 p.m. hours.
Taking advantage of the summer break, Kumu’s Cupboard relocated from its previous location next to Macy’s to the new spot. The relocation resulted in nearly doubling the amount of space available for educator resources and materials, including a teacher resource section where educators are able to have access to less-commonly stocked items for special projects as well as networking among other teachers.
The larger footprint also allows for more items to be displayed for teachers to select from, as well as having a wall displaying a tree laden with sponsors to make Kumu’s a reality.
“I couldn’t find that much for my physical education class,” Purcell said. “But I got a lot of organizational materials. It’s really good to have a place like this on Kauai.”
Kumu’s Cupboard is a nonprofit organization that provides free school supplies to teachers and other educational staff on Kauai. This is done through donations.
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Dennis Fujimoto can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
