Youth Villages stories

youth with backpack provided through Backpack Heroes campaign

New England Backpack Heroes 2024: A Remarkable Success

Sep 25, 2024 | Blog

The 2024 Youth Villages Backpack Heroes campaign was a tremendous success thanks to the incredible support from our volunteers, donors and corporate partners. This annual drive is designed to provide youth in our programs with brand new backpacks filled with essential school supplies to help them start the school year on the right foot.

Nearly 600 young people in our programs received brand new backpacks filled with school supplies. The backpacks were delivered by moving company Two Men and a Truck to our offices across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

The community really showed up this year as more than 300 individual donors purchased more than 400 items from our Amazon wish list and raised $8,667.80 through various fundraising efforts. Twenty-three corporate partners played a pivotal role in the success of this drive, holding their own backpack packing parties, sponsoring youth, creating personalized Amazon wish lists, running fundraising campaigns and organizing their own supply drives. These efforts contributed to ensuring each backpack was fully stocked with the supplies needed for a successful school year.

A special thank you to SBLI for hosting our supply workshop where all the packing magic happened. Their support provided the perfect space for volunteers to come together and make a difference.

youth with backpack and school supplies provided by Backpack Heroes campaign
This year, the Backpack Heroes campaign saw significant community involvement, with 86 volunteers dedicating 116 volunteer hours over six action-packed days. Their tireless work was instrumental in ensuring everything went smoothly, from packing the backpacks to preparing them for delivery.

In addition to the tangible supplies and volunteer hours, hundreds of good luck cards were created for youth heading back to school. These personal touches added a heartfelt dimension to the backpacks, letting our youth know the community stands behind them.

The success of this year’s Backpack Heroes campaign is a testament to the power of community collaboration. Every effort played a crucial role in making sure the youth in our programs had the tools they needed to start their school year with confidence and optimism.

kids getting on school bus
As we look forward to next year, we are filled with gratitude for the amazing support we received and excitement for the continued impact we can make together. Thank you to everyone who participated, donated and supported Backpack Heroes. Your generosity truly makes a difference in the lives of the youth we serve.

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