Housing Up is proud to announce that its annual backpack drive has just come to a close. With the help of generous support and donations, we were able to outfit over 400 children across the city with much needed school supplies. That is an increase of over 100 kids from last year’s drive! While the kids might not be too excited to see the end of their summer vacation, they’ll definitely be prepared for their first day of school.

Often an overlooked expense, back-to-school supplies can add up quickly for a family working to regain stability. In a city where fair market rent and the cost of living are so high, it is unfortunately all too common for kids to show up on the first day of school without proper school supplies. This can be detrimental to their learning. Getting started on the right foot sets the precedent for the entire year.

Housing Up would like to thank all of its supporters in this effort. This includes Gifts of Hope, The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Bethesda, All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church in DC, St. Paul’s Rock Creek Church in DC, the Morris family, the Pardo family, the Park family and the Iwugo family. We are so grateful to have such generous and caring friends in the community!

As you might imagine, collecting, organizing and stuffing backpacks for 400 kids would be quite the endeavor. We’d like to thank our group of selfless volunteers that came after work to help stuff the backpacks with school supplies!

For more information on how to participate in Housing Up’s other annual drives, volunteer opportunities or events, please contact Manager of Volunteer Programs & Community Engagement, Quinn Miller, at qmiller@housingup.org.