Virtual World Gives

Brother, can you spare some supplies?

Don't miss these Web sites that match teachers with donors.

When Jeremy Merrill needed supplies for his art students at Hoover Senior High School in San Diego, he didn't—for once—reach into his own wallet. Instead, he reached out to the virtual world for help—and boy, did he get it. Last spring he received art canvases worth $25,000.

From pianos to toilet paper, a Web site called iLoveSchools.com is helping more than 30,000 teachers get donated materials. Teachers post their requests, under personal home pages, then donors can send supplies directly to the school.

While more appropriate funding by state and federal government would be a better solution, such private assistance can provide a welcome stopgap. To register, check out www.iloveschools.com or www.adoptaclassroom.com, a project of Jones New York.

—M.R.