In May, Sonic Drive-In recognized teachers and the contributions they make to education as a part of its Limeades for Learning initiative in partnership with the nonprofit DonorChoose.org.

With the goal of helping teachers obtain classroom supplies and learning resources, Sonic launched a donation match in honor of Teacher Appreciation Month. In total, Sonic gave $1.2 million matching donations to teacher projects in May.

Several teachers in Rowan and Cabarrus received awards:

• In China Grove, $200 was awarded to Amanda Chavis of Bostian Elementary School for the project “Stimulating Through STEM”

• In Kannapolis, $334 was awarded to Aleks Tallent at Kannapolis Charter Academy for the projects “Got Osmo?”and “Sensory Learning for Little Kinders.”

“Sonic fans who love teachers responded incredibly during Teacher Appreciation Month, and we were delighted to support 3,937 teachers and their students across the country,” said Christi Woodworth, vice president of public relations for Sonic. “Each year, teachers spend hundreds of their own dollars to support their students, and with Limeades for Learning, Sonic and our fans made that burden a bit lighter. We celebrate and thank teachers for the incredible work they do to bring learning to life in creative and fun ways for their students.”

Since 2009, Sonic has donated $13.1 million, supported 33,177 classrooms, and provided learning materials and teaching resources requested by teachers to affect 995,310 students in partnership with DonorChoose.org.

Visit LimeadesforLearning.com for updates on contributions, future donation matches, how to get involved and explore public school teacher projects in need of support. Teachers can submit projects through DonorsChoose.org for a chance to receive funding.