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Volunteers' hands sorting crayons and composition books into clear gallon bags on a folding table, natural gymnasium light catching the cellophane

"Thank you for my new crayons. I drew my whole family."

— Marcus, Age 7

2026 Supply Drive · Now Open

Every Zipper PouchIs a Promise

Last year, 4,200 students in our district started school with everything they needed. That happened because people like you showed up.

Next packing day: Saturday, August 9 · Lincoln Elementary Gymnasium

Join the Next Packing DayDownload Supply List
4,200+
Students
312
Volunteers
14
Schools
The People Behind It

Real people.
Real drives.

The Backpack drive runs on the energy of people who show up — year after year, folding table after folding table.

Sandra, a warm smiling woman in her forties with brown hair, standing in a school gymnasium

"The look on a kid's face when they see their name on a bag — that's why I keep coming back."

8 drives

Sandra

PTA Coordinator

DeShawn, a confident Black man in his thirties wearing a light blue shirt, standing against a school hallway

"I know which students come in with nothing. This program closes that gap quietly, with dignity."

5 drives

DeShawn

Guidance Counselor

Priya, a South Asian woman in her late twenties with dark hair, smiling warmly in a corporate casual setting

"Our whole company shows up for packing day now. It's become part of who we are."

3 drives

Priya

CSR Coordinator

Tom, a white man in his fifties with grey hair and a kind expression, wearing a flannel shirt

"Started with one donation bin in the lobby. Now we run three collection sites."

11 drives

Tom

Church Liaison

Aaliyah, a Black teenage girl with natural hair, smiling brightly while holding a stack of notebooks

"I used to be one of these kids. Now I get to be on the other side."

2 drives

Aaliyah

Teen Volunteer

29+

combined packing days led by our core volunteer team

Each one starts with an empty gymnasium and ends with hundreds of bags ready to go.

Packing Day

What it actually
looks like.

Not staged. Not filtered. Just a gymnasium full of people who decided this mattered.

Volunteers sorting colorful school supplies into clear plastic bags on a long gymnasium folding table, natural light streaming through high windows

Sorting day — Lincoln Elementary, 7:30 AM

A teenager labeling cardboard boxes with a black marker, tongue slightly out in concentration

Aaliyah labeling boxes

A woman laughing while counting glue sticks at a folding table, stacks of supplies in the background

"Fourteen... fifteen... Sandra, we have too many glue sticks."

Rows of completed backpacks lined up on gymnasium bleachers, each one tagged with a school name

847 bags ready before noon

Close-up of hands placing a fresh box of crayons into a clear bag with a handwritten name tag

Every bag is packed by hand

Photos taken by volunteer photographer Marcus Webb at the August 2025 packing day. Every person photographed is a real Backpack volunteer.

There's a Seat For You

One empty chair
in the volunteer photo.

That seat is yours. The next packing day is August 9th. It takes three hours and leaves you with something you'll think about for weeks.

Group of smiling volunteers seated in a gymnasium after a packing day, with one empty folding chair at the end of the row, natural light from gymnasium windows
This seat is waiting for you
Volunteer 1 portrait thumbnail
Volunteer 2 portrait thumbnail
Volunteer 3 portrait thumbnail
Volunteer 4 portrait thumbnail
+

Join the Next Packing Day

August 9th · Lincoln Elementary Gymnasium · 8 AM – 11 AM

No spam. Just one email with packing day details.

Not Ready to Commit?

Donate on your
own terms.

Pick up a few items from our standard list and drop them at any of our 12 collection sites. No sign-up required — just a quiet way to help.

Standard Supply List · Grades K–5
  • Wide-ruled composition notebooks (2)
  • No. 2 pencils, pre-sharpened (12-pack)
  • Washable markers, classic colors (8-pack)
  • Crayons (24-count box)
  • Glue sticks (2)
  • Blunt-tip scissors
  • + 4 more items in full list

Get the full supply list

We'll email you a printable PDF — one page, no frills. Bring it to Target or Dollar Tree and you're done.

Drop-off sites near you

St. Michael's Church · Oak Park
Riverside Community Center
Whole Foods · Lincoln Square

+ 9 more locations →

4,200 students served last yearAugust 9 · Packing Day12 drop-off locationsGrades K through 8HSA/FSA not required — just your timeEvery supply donated stays local
4,200 students served last yearAugust 9 · Packing Day12 drop-off locationsGrades K through 8HSA/FSA not required — just your timeEvery supply donated stays local