NetApp donates 700 cubic feet of material to RAFT, helping the non-profit reach 3 million cubic feet of donations to date.

Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) reaches 3 million cubic feet of  IMG_5770donated material in part thanks to FORTUNE 500 storage and data management company NetApp. NetApp recently donated 700 cubic feet of material, which will benefit thousands of Bay Area educators.

To visualize 3 million cubic feet of materials, imagine a freight train loaded with 1,000 giant cargo containers stacked two-high. The train would be six miles long and take 14 minutes to go by! Reaching this volume of materials marks a significant milestone in RAFT history and serves as a reminder of the organization’s mission to support educators, as well as the environment.

Over the years NetApp employees have donated materials such as furniture and school supplies as well as volunteer time. NetApp is committed to making a difference in the communities where employees live and work, and to the success of their customers, partners and shareholders. Environmental responsibility and sustainability go hand in hand with this commitment, which is why NetApp and its employees continue to donate to RAFT.

By upcycling RAFT delivers an abundance of affordable hands-on learning materials and supplies for educators and their students while also diverting roughly 400 cubic feet of materials from landfills each and every day.

“You can feel the students’ excitement when they are actively engaged. Hands-on learning has many benefits including adding interest, improving retention and developing problem solving and collaboration skills. RAFT continually works to improve and provide services/products to help us meet the changing needs of our students,” says Elizabeth Pombo, Kindergarten Teacher.

Founded in 1994, RAFT was created on a simple yet powerful idea: students learn best when they are active in the learning process. Hands-on learning has proven to deliver a richer, deeper understanding to students, especially in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects. RAFT’s upcycled and recycled materials donated from companies like NetApp, are the lifeline of the company’s mission, and helps build a more sustainable world and a healthier environment by keeping our landfills free of perfectly usable materials.

“Each year hundreds of local companies donate materials to RAFT. Their generosity allows us to provide diverse resources to educators, both in and out of the classroom. Together we can make a deep impact on education and we extend our thanks to all our donors,” says Grainger Marburg, RAFT CEO.

If you would like to make a corporate donation, please send an email to raft@raft.729solutions.com.

About RAFT
RAFT believes the best way to spark the love of learning for the next generation of thinkers, innovators, problem-solvers, and creators, is through hands-on learning. A nonprofit organization since 1994, RAFT serves 12,000 educators each year who teach over 900,000 students. Find out more about RAFT and how to get involved at http://www.raft.729solutions.com.