The staff of Computers for Learning, a federal program that gives surplus government computers to schools and educational nonprofits, sometimes sees 1,000 computers a week come into their warehouse, the Washington Post reports.

The trick is in picking out who will get the computers from the even larger number of requests the staff receives.

When changing over to newer computers, federal agencies at one point gave the surplus equipment to the General Services Administration, where the computers could sit for months while schools waited, the Post reports.

Now many of the agencies hand their surplus computers over to Computers for Learning, established two years ago to provide a direct link to needy schools and education nonprofits. The program handles donations for 18 government agencies, including the Department of Agriculture.

When the computers come through the door, they are examined by the Computers for Learning staff and given needed repairs. Schools and groups that will receive the refurbished machines are then selected from among the many applications coming through the program's Web site.

However, there are still never enough computers to go around, the Post reports. Around the District of Columbia alone, almost 600 schools and nonprofits have applied for equipment donations.

The program gives priority to schools from impoverished areas that are unlikely to be able to afford computers. Criteria include the ratio of students to computers, and the number of students on assisted-lunch programs, the Post reports.

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