Kids are back in school for their first few weeks, all the while teachers prepared for these days probably months ago — probably since the last day of school last year. I am a young adult without children, but there are still things that I can do to help the teachers in my community. In recent years, many of my friends have become teachers; they are passionate and professional, and the kids that get to learn from them every day are seriously lucky.

I enter my first year of graduate school in a couple of weeks — as a part of my program, I will teach freshman English. I am fortunate enough to have the support of the English department and of the university itself, but I am very aware of the lack of support our Public K-12 teachers have when it comes to basic necessities like Kleenex and colorful crayons. Here are a few ways to help support the teachers in your community this school year:

1. Vote.

In the general election this summer, Washington had the lowest voter turnout in nearly a decade, with only 26.92% of registered voters participating. These elections help decide who our local office holders will be; they decide who will serve the community and put its best interest first. It is important that we vote for candidates that support our teachers, candidates that want to pass levies and provide more resources for our public schools.

2. Donate.

There are so many organizations that can help you donate to classrooms all around the country. Organizations like the Kids in Need Foundation and the AdoptAClassroom.org help teachers and kids across the nation get the school supplies that they need. These organizations make it easy to contribute over the internet. Locally, the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation takes donations of school supplies and distributes them throughout the school district. If you live outside the Bellingham area, contact your local school district to inquire where the best drop-off location for school supplies donations is.

3. Volunteer.

Teachers need more than supplies when it comes to support. In elementary school, my mom would volunteer a couple of hours of one day of the week to help my teachers file papers or prepare snacks; she would do the busy, behind the scenes work, while my teacher was instructing us at the front of the class. I don’t have any children, so I don’t have a classroom to go to, but I can still volunteer my time - organizations like the YMCA and The Boys and Girls Club have volunteer tutors that work with kids to help them understand their homework. Bellingham has both a YMCA and a Boys and Girls Club.

4. Ask.

I am 25, with a lot of teacher friends — August and September is an insane time for them. Reach out and ask them if they need any help or if they need anything to help with the stress that comes with getting ready and getting through the first few weeks of school. Help your teacher friend friend feng shui her classroom, help move the boxes full of heavy paper and gel pens. Get a teacher a bottle of wine. #teacherwineappreciation; we can make that a thing.

5. Build relationships.

Even if you don’t have any teacher friends, there are still ways in which you can help and support the teachers in your community. Attend a school board meeting. Learn the names of the people who are working to protect the best interest of the kids in your community and learn what you can do to help. Stay up to date on the issues and help support teachers when they strike, because they do deserve a fair and livable wage for teaching the crazy kids in your community.