Tampa teacher holds free ‘mom store’ for students to have Mother’s Day gifts

TAMPA, Fla. - It started in the back of her classroom, and years later, it’s grown into a store that benefits the entire school.

Caitlin Zimmerman, a Language Arts teacher at Franklin Middle Magnet in Tampa, started the "Mom Store" after cleaning out some items at home.

Thanks to donations, every student at the school has the chance to shop for Mother’s Day gifts at the store for free.

"I could not do it without them. Their support is everything. Every time I come home, there's a bag on my porch, and I just told my friends, and they told their friends, and everybody wants to help out, and everybody wants to do something good for someone else," Zimmerman said.

READ: Hillsborough school board passes school boundary changes, votes to close Just Elementary School

Students not only shop at the store, but they also help run it, learning invaluable life skills as well.

Students creating photo albums to use as a Mother's Day present 

"Students get beautiful things for their mothers such as this because they may be unable to afford it. So, I like helping a lot of students get their mother something nice," Avi Patel, a student, said.

The goal of the store is to ensure there's something for every child to choose from.

"Maybe there's two mother figures in the home, a grandmother and a mother. Maybe there's two mothers in the home. Maybe there's a stepmother in the home. Maybe dad is taking on all of that himself. And he needs something, too, for Mother's Day. We have all of that at our store," Zimmerman said.

The kids say they're excited when they find the perfect gift but look forward to Mother's Day.