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This teacher needs your help!

Teacher Whipple from Hooper Bay AK is requesting materials related to food, clothing & hygiene through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Teacher Whipple is requesting

Hooper Bay Mushroom Cultivation.

Help me give my students the costliest items (pressure cooker, scalpel sterilizer) help ensure a sterile process and prevent contamination.

  • $1,235 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

My Project

I will be demonstrating to students and other interested staff the process of turning spores (either liquid or from spore print samples) into grain spawn, and then into supplemented sawdust and straw blocks. This demonstration will take place over a duration of approximately six weeks per grow cycle.

Mushrooms are an easy-to-grow and valuable food source.

Mushrooms are an excellent source of protein and other essential nutrients, making them an ideal food for those who are subsistence-focused Yup'ik students. By providing mushroom growing supplies, we can help to teach students about the importance of sustainable food sources and the cultivation of edible mushrooms.

Participants will be able to (project goals):

1. Prepare a sterile area and sterilize instruments for transferring mushroom cultures

2. Prepare spawn and substrate

3. Monitoring fruiting bags or chambers (humidity, temperature, Co2, & airflow)

4. Cooking and dehydrating mushrooms

5. Learning the circular scientific process to recycle spent blocks and propagating mycelium over multiple generations.

The participants will work with the Agrocybe aegerita, Ganoderma lucidum, Hypsizygus ulmarius, Lentinula edodes, Pleurotus columbinus, Pleurotus pulmonarius, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Pholiota ediposa mushroom species. Most of the species can grow on spent coffee grounds, pasturized cardboard, sawdust, straw, and tundra grass.

To ensure the safety of the students, we will only use mushroom-growing supplies that are appropriate for use in the classroom. We will also provide thorough training on the safe handling and use of the supplies so that everyone can learn mycology lab and cultivation skills with minimal risk.

At the end of the project, students and other participants will take most finished blocks home to fruit.

I believe that this proposal for mushroom cultivation will be a valuable addition to the special education resource room, science room, and fresh food for the home economics classes.

Teacher Whipple
Grades 6-8

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
All American 21.5 Qt Pressure Cooker Canner 921 • Amazon Business $419.95 1 $419.95
MushroomMediaOnline Fast Fruiting aka Masters Mix (50% Oak/50% Soy Hull Pellets) (10 lbs) • Amazon Business $28.74 5 $143.70
faruijie Laboratory Infrared Sterilizer - Scalpel Sterilizer Needle Sterilizer Incinerator Sterilizer Loop Sterilizer for Lab Use • Amazon Business $132.80 1 $132.80
5 LBs of Organic Rye Berries USDA Certified Organic, Non-GMO, Perfect for Mushroom Growers or Bread Makers • Amazon Business $27.00 2 $54.00
Parafilm M PM992 All Purpose Laboratory Film,Semi-Transparent • Amazon Business $39.79 1 $39.79
Malt Extract Agar (MEA) Premix, 100 Grams by Epic Mushrooms (Designed for Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms) • Amazon Business $19.69 2 $39.38
Erlenmeyer Flask, 500ml - Borosilicate Glass - with PTFE Screw Cap - Conical Shape - White Graduations - Eisco Labs • Amazon Business $18.49 2 $36.98
50 Synthetic Filter Discs 90mm"Wide Mouth" Size Used for Mushroom Cultivation (50) • Amazon Business $29.54 1 $29.54
Canning Kit, Canning Supplies Starter Kit, Food Grade Stainless Steel Canning Set for Beginner,Canning Essential Tools for Water Bath & Pressure Canner, Canning Accessories Equipment for Pot, Black • Amazon Business $19.79 1 $19.79
BBQ Gloves, 1472°F Heat Resistant Gloves Fireproof Mitts，Grilling Gloves Silicone Non-Slip Washable Oven Gloves, Kitchen Gloves for Barbecue, Grilling, Cooking, Baking, Camping, Smoker (Black) • Amazon Business $15.99 1 $15.99
Huanyu 60mm Glass Petri Dishes with Lids High Borosilicate Glass Bacterial Culture Dishes (5pcs：60mm) • Amazon Business $15.89 1 $15.89
Uineko Plastic Spray Bottle (4 Pack, 24 Oz, All-Purpose) Heavy Duty Spraying Bottles Leak Proof Mist Empty Water Bottle for Cleaning Solution Planting Pet with Adjustable Nozzle and Measurements • Amazon Business $12.57 1 $12.57
Amazon Basics Hydrogen Peroxide Topical Solution USP, 32 Fl Oz, Pack of 1 • Amazon Business $5.23 2 $10.46
30 Pieces Scalpel Sterile Blades #11 with 2 Pack #3 Metal Scalpel Knife Handle & Storage Case, for Biology Lab Anatomy, Practicing Cutting, Medical Student, Sculpting, Repairing, Crafts, Leather • Amazon Business $9.99 1 $9.99
LC LICTOP 80mm/3.15" BI -Metal Wood Hole Saws Bit Tooth Cutting for Cornhole Board Metal Plastic Fiberboard • Amazon Business $8.99 1 $8.99

Materials cost

$989.82

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $14.85

3rd party payment processing fee

$14.85

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$1,049.52

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$185.21

Total project goal

$1,234.73

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $1,234.73

4 Donors

-$588.00

Donations toward project cost

-$584.25

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$3.75

Matching donations from our partners

-$547.38

Match offers toward project cost

-$465.27

Match offers to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$82.11

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$99.35

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Teacher Whipple and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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