36,000 Backpack Journey

Follow our live campaign updates as our community prepares students for a successful school year.

The Journey to 36,000 Backpacks

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Journey to 36,000: Campaign Updates

The Backpack Initiative officially kicked into high gear this week as hundreds of volunteers began preparing backpacks for local students! Throughout the week, community members, businesses, and organizations rolled up their sleeves to unpack supplies, organize materials, and assemble backpacks that will soon be distributed to students across Palm Beach County.

We are incredibly grateful for every volunteer, sponsor, and community partner helping ensure students begin the school year prepared, confident, and ready to learn!

Check back each week for new photos, volunteer highlights, impact statistics, and stories from our journey to prepare 36,000 backpacks.

Backpack Build Highlights & Photos

Click on a section below to explore each volunteer experience and see the impact in action!

Community Builds

Hundreds of community volunteers came together to pack backpacks with essential school supplies for local students. This high-energy, hands-on experience united individuals, families, and organizations in preparing thousands of students for a successful school year.

Backpack Prep Shifts

Volunteers worked behind the scenes to unpack, sort, and organize thousands of school supplies, ensuring everything was ready for backpack assembly. Their efforts laid the foundation for a smooth and successful Backpack Initiative.

Prep-Week | June 29 – July 3

This Week's Story

This Week's Impact

We started this year’s Backpack Initiative preparing for our Community Build Events.

Shout-Outs:

Huge thanks to Window Gang of Palm Beach for bringing the whole team out. Your early energy helped kick off our campaign with heart and momentum!

Backpacks & Supplies Unpacked and Sorted: 36,000

Volunteers: 50

Volunteer Hours: 181.75

Week 1 | July 6 – July 10

This Week's Story

Week 2 Impact

A huge thank you to all of this week’s volunteers for donating their time and energy to support local students!

Special thanks to our incredible community partners participating this week, including:

Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County
Max Planck Florida Institute
Jones Foster
Mirasol Community Foundation
Pratt & Whitney
Mariner Wealth
Woodfield Community Foundation
Path to College
Mirasol Community Foundation
REG Architects

Glenmede
West Palm Beach Rotary Club
ECF Engineering Consultants
Amazon
DLR Group
Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization
Admirals Cove
Goldman Sachs
Blue Sea Capital
Florida Power & Light Company

Backpacks Packed: 9,990

Schools Packed: 15

Volunteers: 348

Volunteer Hours: 926.33

Week 2 | July 13 – July 17

This Week's Story

Week 3 Impact

The momentum continues! This week, dozens of incredible community partners rolled up their sleeves to help prepare thousands more backpacks for local students. From construction companies and law firms to financial organizations and community groups, volunteers worked side-by-side to ensure every student starts the school year equipped for success.

As our assembly lines continue moving and backpacks fill the warehouse, we’re incredibly grateful for the businesses and organizations investing their time, talent, and hearts into this community-wide effort.

Special Thanks To:

Backpacks Packed: 10,471

Schools Packed: 15

Volunteers: 256

Volunteer Hours: 655.75

A Special Thanks To:

Alvarez & Marsal
B&I Contractors
Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors®
C3 Complete
Carrier
Five Guys
Gehring Group
Gunster
Mirasol Foundation
Network Lead Exchange
Pirtle Construction
Proctor Construction
Suncoast High School Cheer
The Weitz Company
USClaims
Wharton-Smith
The Breakers

Week 3 | July 20 – July 25

This Week's Story

Backpacks Packed: 9,529

Schools Packed: 14

Volunteers: 371

Volunteer Hours: 835

The journey to 36,000+ backpacks reached an exciting milestone this week! Thanks to another incredible wave of volunteers and community partners, thousands more backpacks were packed and prepared—bringing us more than three-quarters of the way toward our goal of ensuring local students start the school year equipped and ready to succeed.

Week after week, our community continues to show what’s possible when we come together for students. From packing backpacks and preparing supplies to volunteering time and rallying teams, every helping hand is moving us closer to the finish line.

With 36,000+ students counting on us, the energy isn’t slowing down! We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has joined this journey and helped turn thousands of individual supplies into something much bigger: confidence, opportunity, and a strong start to the school year.

The finish line is in sight—and together, we’re going to get there!

Special Thanks To:

AIA Palm Beach
AMR
Andersen
B.E. Blank & Company
BDO
CEMEX
CES Consultants
City of Lake Worth Beach
CORE Construction
EFPBC Young Professionals Group

Gold Coast Federal Credit Union
Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization
Keiser University
Mirasol Foundation
NAI/Merin Hunter Codman
Niagara Bottling
Norton Museum of Art
Office Depot

Professional Firefighters of Palm Beach County
Sounders Care
St. Mary’s Medical Center
The Breakers Palm Beach
UES
United Franchise Group
Voloridge Investment Management
Window Gang
Wycliffe Warriors

Join the Journey

There are many ways to help prepare 36,000 students for a successful school year. Choose how you’d like to make a difference.

Meet the People Behind the Backpacks

Our volunteers are the heart of this initiative. Here’s why they choose to give back.

“At Office Depot, we’re proud to team up with the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County to make a meaningful impact in the communities where our coworkers live and work. Seeing our coworkers come together to pack more than 1,100 backpacks is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we work together for a common purpose. It’s a core mission of ours to help ensure local teachers have the resources to equip their classrooms and students have the back-to-school essentials they need to start the school year with confidence, ready to learn, grow, and succeed.”

"Sounders Care is a club formed with the purpose of ‘Paying it Forward, Together.’ We deeply value teachers and students, who hold the future of our community in their hands. Volunteering for Red Apple Supplies gives us purpose and brings us together for a great cause. It’s a win-win for all!"

"At Gunster, we are passionate about supporting education and empowering the next generation. Our team was inspired to participate in the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County’s backpack build initiative because we believe every student deserves the opportunity to start the school year with confidence and the right tools. Volunteering together to pack over 1,600 backpacks for local elementary schools was not only a rewarding way to give back, but also a meaningful team-building experience. Working side by side, we felt a strong sense of unity and purpose, knowing our efforts would help students feel prepared and valued, and support teachers in creating positive learning environments. We are proud to contribute to an initiative that impacts so many schools and families across Palm Beach County. For us, community service is more than a responsibility—it’s a privilege and a core part of who we are."

"We absolutely love working with the Education Foundation at Red Apple Supplies for their annual Backpack Build Initiative. Their deep commitment to uplifting students and families in our community is truly inspiring. This initiative is something our volunteers look forward to each year—it ensures children start the school year with the essential tools they need to thrive, while also giving our volunteers a meaningful, hands-on opportunity to make a real difference. Everyone cares about setting children up for success in school, and partnering on this effort unites our organization around a shared purpose. The experience of giving back in such a tangible, impactful way is both fulfilling and motivating for everyone involved."

“Carrier is committed to advancing the communities in which we live, work and operate,” said Michael Pych, Vice President & General Counsel, Carrier Americas, and Education Foundation of Palm Beach County board member. “It means so much to have the opportunity to positively impact children from local Title I schools, right in Carrier’s own backyard.”

"Participating in the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County’s inspiring Back-to-School initiative was a meaningful way for us to give back and show our appreciation for the incredible efforts of teachers and students. Volunteering as a team not only brought us closer together but also gave us the opportunity to support a cause we truly value, education and the empowerment of future generations. At UES, we believe in investing in people and creating opportunities for all, and this experience reinforced the importance of community involvement and support for public education."

"Partnering with the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County has been incredibly meaningful for our team at C3 Complete. From collecting school supplies in our office to providing technology support and volunteering to build backpacks, each effort reminded us that even small actions can spark lasting impact. We’re proud to play a part in helping local students start the school year strong and honored to support an organization that does so much good for our community."

“At Citizens, we believe in the power of community and the importance of supporting local students and teachers. Volunteering with the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County to build 500 backpacks was a meaningful way for our team to give back and help ensure every child starts the school year ready to succeed.”

"On behalf of everyone at Jezerinac Group, we’re proud to support the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County. As a longtime supporter, we are thrilled to participate in the Backpack Build once again. Helping make sure students and teachers have the school supplies they need isn’t just meaningful, it felt like we were making a real impact on the future of our community. Even better, we got to do it together. From packing backpacks to sorting supplies, we shared a lot of laughs, worked side by side, and walked away feeling more connected, not just to each other, but to something bigger. It’s days like this that remind us why community matters. Giving back isn’t just about the supplies, it’s about hope and opportunity for our future leaders."

"As a team we get the opportunity to work together in a setting that is different from our regular project, and it benefits a great foundation who does so much for the local community. As an individual who has participated in this event previously; it is amazing to see the growth and humbling to see the impact that a group of individuals can make when they come together. I look forward to it every year."

"Jones Foster has been committed to serving South Florida for more than 100 years, not only as a law firm, but as people who care about building a vibrant community and a better quality of life for everyone. Participating in the Education Foundation’s Backpack Build allowed us to come together as a team for a meaningful purpose: to empower young students with the tools they need to succeed and help close equity gaps that can stifle learning. We’re proud to support their journey toward becoming the next generation of leaders. We wish all Palm Beach County students a successful school year!"

"I received a bunch of super nice thank you emails! One person thanked me & Joe & said we had very big hearts! ❤️🩷🧡 I'm happy people went home feeling important & connected to their community!! Mission Accomplished! 👍👍"

"NAI Merin Hunter Codman has played a central role in the growth and development of Palm Beach County over the past 35 years. This is our home and there is nothing that we do that is more important or gives us greater satisfaction than the small role we play in supporting Palm Beach County’s public school students. We have been with Red Apple Supply from its beginning in a small 3,000 sf tin building. We are amazed and humbled by the growth of the organization and the impact it has had on our community!"

"Awesome job team A&M. It was such an inspirational time to come together for some team building and giving back to the kids in need in our Palm Beach County Schools!!!! "

“For 88 years, Gold Coast Federal Credit Union has worked with the Palm Beach County School District in a variety of ways. While we enjoy all the events with the District and the Education Foundation, one of our favorites is the annual backpack drive. This initiative has such a direct and tangible impact on the lives of students, and Gold Coast FCU is proud to play a minor role in this huge undertaking.”

“Volunteering alongside the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County is always a meaningful experience for our team. The Backpack Build reminds us how powerful community partnerships can be—coming together to ensure every student starts the school year with the tools and confidence they need to succeed.”

"Every year UFG looks forward to packing backpacks with Education Foundation. It is a great way to bring employees from different departments together and united under a single cause of giving back. At UFG, we are committed to constantly learning. We believe that education is a key to success. We are proud to help set students up for a successful school year with the right tools! And we love knowing that the backpacks are going right next door to us!"

“Our team was thrilled to come back together to support our local students as every child deserves to start the school year feeling ready and confident! It’s a heartfelt mission to support education and give back and invest in our community.”

"ECF prioritizes education, so what's a better way to spend time away from your desk, than to be a part of something so impactful? Thank you to the Education Foundation for having us!"

"This annual event has become a powerful tradition for our team. Each year, our employees and interns come together to pack hundreds of backpacks for Grove Park Elementary. As we celebrate Pratt & Whitney’s centennial, it’s moments like these that reflect our enduring commitment to community, education, and the next generation. Every backpack packed is a reminder of the impact we can make when we show up together with purpose.”

"Today’s backpack build event was outstanding, and you/your team deserve many kudos for your impeccable organizing. I heard lots of great comments during the day and felt that everyone was very motivated by the opportunity to serve this great organization. Thank you for all the hard work and enthusiasm you put into making it happen."

Thank You to our 2026 Backpack Sponsors

Thank you for investing in students and strengthening our community.

Thank You to our 2026 Backpack Delivery Partners

Moving Made Meaningful, Thanks to Our Community Partners

Relocating thousands of backpacks filled with school supplies is no small task—and we know how physically demanding and logistically challenging it can be. That’s why we’re incredibly grateful to our four community moving partners who stepped up without hesitation to help make this year’s distribution smooth, efficient, and stress-free for everyone involved.

Thanks to their professionalism, reliability, and exceptional service, what could have been an exhausting process became a seamless experience for our schools, principals, teachers, and staff. We’re truly thankful for their partnership and for helping us deliver more than just supplies—they helped deliver opportunity.