Kristen Bell is using her stardom to help teachers get school supplies for their classrooms

In the age of social media influencers, being popular online puts you in an incredibly powerful position. Being able to reach so many people opens up a world of opportunities, which if used wisely can give way to amazing things. While most social media influencers and celebrities use their popularity online for little else than self-promotion, Kristen Bell is using her platform to do some good. Last year, the Frozen 2 star launched a campaign to help teachers in need procure supplies for their classrooms, changing countless lives through the initiative.

Every week, the actor features one teacher on her Instagram profile as a part of her #FeatureTeacherFriday project. Sharing the selected teacher's story and Amazon wishlist with her 12.3 million followers, the 39-year-old urges them to help the teacher get the supplies. Earlier this month, Bell shared the story of a first-year kindergarten teacher named Emily Mayberry with this caption: Brooke emailed me to nominate her friend of 25 years, Emily. She told me that when they set up Emily’s classroom this year, she had little beyond tables and chairs and bought the rest of her supplies herself. SO! Let’s send Emily some love and support!

Emily's story, shared by Bell, reads: I'm a first year kindergarten teacher at a small Title I school in Genesee County in Flint, MI. Being a Title I school means that a majority of our students live below the federal poverty line. Some of our families struggle to have their basic needs met. Although most of our students reside in the city of Flint, our school is located in a neighboring town. They ride the bus to school, with the earliest pickup being 5:58 am and the latest stop being close to 5:30 pm. These amazing kiddos spend a majority of their waking hours at school or traveling to and from school.

This is just one of the many reasons that it is so important to make my classroom feel like a home away from home for my students. We call our classroom our 'house' and we are all family. Our rules and routines are centered around being good to each other and supporting each other the way families should. Our mission at Woodland Park Academy is to 'Create Relationships to Change the World.' For me, fostering these relationships means giving 100 hugs a day, checking in on older students on my lunch, telling students every day that I love them, and listening when they have something to say. It means never losing sight of how even the smallest act of kindness or understanding may change someone’s life, it continues.

Our school is small and our teachers have some of the lowest-paid salaries in our area. Being a first-year teacher in an almost empty classroom has been challenging. However, every day we try to fill our classroom with curiosity, excitement, and love! Please know that any donations received will directly impact the lives of my little learners and I am forever grateful for the support!! concludes the post. Barely 2 days after the Bell posted Emily's story, packages began flooding in from across the globe.

Taking to Instagram to thank Bell and her followers, Emily wrote: I just wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for the outpouring of support and kind words that I have received over the last week. To say that the last week has been a complete whirlwind is putting it mildly. It has been so overwhelming (in a good way) and I am still in shock! I just wanted to make sure that you all know how amazing and wonderful I think you are! Please keep supporting teachers, supporting education, and most of all, supporting kids!