Born in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, Nancy Hutchinson grew up being the oldest of three girls. She attended Missouri State University where she pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. In search of a new experience, Nancy and her husband moved all the way to Texas to start their family.

Nancy began teaching 6th grade at a private school. For a few years after that, she drove a school bus for Irving ISD when her kids were little. Nancy found herself back in the classroom in 1996 when she began teaching Special Education at John Haley Elementary School. 

In the year 2000, Nancy was the District Elementary Teacher of the Year! She retired after 22 years.

Today, she serves as one the main volunteers of the Community to Classroom Store (C2C Store). The C2C Store serves as the Irving Schools Foundation’s store without a cash register where Irving ISD teachers and staff can “shop” for free classroom and office supplies.

Nancy says, “I originally heard about the C2C Store on my campus, but I confess I never made time to go there. I wish I had, knowing now how awesome it is for teachers.” After retiring, she was invited to volunteer at the store by ISF Board Member and C2C Store Chair, Gwen Craig. 

Gwen says, “Nancy is a wonderful volunteer.  She is very dependable and her experience as a retired teacher is invaluable to me.  She has been able to hold down the fort when I am not around.”

Nancy has been a volunteer at the C2C Store for about three years now. She was excited to transfer to the new ISF Warehouse, the new home of the C2C Store, after years of volunteering at its former location, Crockett Middle School. 

Her favorite thing about the C2C Store is when the “first timers” show up. She describes that, “They are overwhelmed by the store and super excited to shop for things for themselves and their students. They are also so grateful that this is available to them to help them supply their classroom with much needed items.”

Nancy’s daily routine when she volunteers at the C2C Store is as follows: First, she must open up the store and ensure all supplies are stocked for teacher and staff visitors. Second, she checks the schedule of visitor appointments sent by Gwen. Then, Nancy waits on, greets, and serves as a personal shopper for store visitors. After the last appointment, she checks to see if any restocking is needed in sections of the store, straightens up, checks the thermostat, turns off the lights, and locks the door. That is the end of another great day at the C2C Store!

Thanks to amazing volunteers like Nancy, the C2C Store was able to serve 161 visitors and give away 18,099 items last year! Nancy’s favorite memory while volunteering has been of a special Pre-K teacher visitor. She says, “We had a PreK teacher come and besides all the regular supplies she was so excited to see that we had a variety of prizes or rewards she could use in her “treasure box.” We don’t always have that kind of thing, but often our community donors send some of the coolest things as bonus items.”

When she is not at the C2C Store, Nancy’s life is wholesome and joyful as her greatest motivation is to be a person who walks out their faith everyday in practical ways. This year, she is looking forward to increasing her community involvement by volunteering in other places such as the Main Place. She’s also excited to attend the Irving Main Stage Theater, Entertainment Series of Irving, and meet her friends at the Irving Retired School Personnel meetings. She also says her teenage grandsons will be visiting this summer – we look forward to your great stories! 

When asked why people should volunteer with the Irving Schools Foundation, Nancy’s response was: “ISF is all about making things better for students and teachers. That is a worthy calling and I want to be a part of that. There are plenty of opportunities through the foundation from the C2C Store, Food for Thought, backpack distribution” and beyond!

Thank you for all you do, Nancy! 

Make sure to visit the C2C Store and give a warm “hello” to Nancy! Sign up for an appointment here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=20499868%22

To make a financial contribution or supply donation to the C2C Store, please visit https://irvingschoolsfoundation.org/programs/c2c-store/