Leesburg, FL — The Education Foundation of Lake County is proud to announce and recognize the generous local sponsors supporting its 2025–2026 Apple-Mart Stores. These partnerships are an essential part of the Education Foundation’s mission to serve as the connection between the community and the Lake County School District.
This year, three community partners identified the Apple-Mart stores at the heart of an opportunity to support Lake County Schools. Apple-Mart is known as the place Lake County School teachers can shop for free. Throughout the school year, the Apple- Mart locations are open once a week for the teachers to visit and pick up school supplies for their classrooms and their students. In 2024-2025, there were over 950 Apple-Mart store visits, which equate to $148,456 worth of school supplies that were distributed.
The Apple-Mart store sponsors for the 2025-2026 school year include:
Citizens First Bank – Leesburg location
ODP Business Solutions – Mascotte location
Comcast – Eustis location
These sponsors will be featured at each location, in store displays, on digital platforms, and in monthly e-newsletters. “The Education Foundation is excited for the renewed energy surrounding our Apple-Mart locations,” said Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, Executive Director of the Education Foundation. The Apple-Mart locations are also going digital this upcoming school year by tracking the supplies distributed and the financial impact of the three locations. “We look forward to increasing the number of teachers who visit our stores and the number of resources we are providing across the district.”
The Apple-Mart stores are supported by volunteers and through donations of supplies, including the Red for Ed initiative underway throughout the month of July. “We have more than 30 businesses and community organizations joining forces to collect school supplies through the Red for Ed initiative,” shared Dr. Johnson. “Red for Ed is known as a friendly competition that encourages local businesses to collect school supplies that will fill the Education Foundation’s three Apple-Mart locations and ensure teachers and students have the resources they need to start the school year off right.”
The Education Foundation will host two Pep Rallies for Public Education to weigh the collected supplies. On July 31, supplies can be dropped off from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. in Clermont, Florida at 2460 Hooks St. and on August 1, supplies can be dropped off at the same time in Tavares, Florida at 201 W. Burleigh St. Each of the Pep Rallies will feature a food truck and a fun environment to get ready for the next school year.
“We are grateful to McCree General Contractors and Cebert Tax Service for their generous support of our Pep Rallies for Public Education,” said Kacey Edmondson, Donor Development Specialist at the Foundation. “Their commitment to supporting public education demonstrates a shared belief in the power of community to positively impact students and teachers. Their sponsorship ensures that we can continue to celebrate the incredible work happening in Lake County Schools as we kick off another successful school year.”
Apple-Mart invites all community members to support participating sponsors and learn more about the program by visiting https://edfoundationlake.com/
About the Education Foundation of Lake County
Established in 1987, Education Foundation of Lake County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and designated direct support organization for Lake County Schools. Our mission is to serve as the connection between our community and public education, evaluating needs and securing resources to enhance the quality of education. The Education Foundation of Lake County operates for the benefit of students and teachers in Lake County Public Schools.
About Lake County Schools: Lake County Schools is the 19th largest school district in the state of Florida, serving about 43,000 students across 50 learning sites, including traditional public schools, charter schools, a virtual school, and other specialty schools. Our mission is to provide every student with individual opportunities to excel and to prepare every student to graduate with the skills needed to succeed in post-secondary education and the workplace. For more news and information about Lake County Schools, visit www.lake.k12.fl.us.
