Fayetteville Observer staff photo by Raul R. Rubiera

Brown, a local artist and illustrator who also works in a health food store, hoped that one day she would help those students who followed her.

She started in 2006, when she bought $200 in art supplies for E.E. Smith. This year, she's helped Douglas Byrd and Reid Ross Classical high schools and has supplies waiting for Terry Sanford High School.

Much of the money for the supplies comes from the sale of Brown's handmade journals and scrapbooks at the Fayetteville Farmers Market. She also uses her own money.

"There's no strings attached," she said. "They don't have to pay anything for it."

School officials say funding for art supplies and similar items have been cut in recent years. In this year's budget, Cumberland County schools had to absorb line item cuts from the state for instructional supplies, transportation, textbooks and staff development.

Brown's organization isn't a nonprofit group. She said she prefers to put money into art supplies for schools rather than paying to apply for nonprofit status...

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