What does it look like when a community comes together to support its kids?

It’s a room full of backpacks, lined up in neat rows. It’s families greeted by the sight of those backpacks filled with what their children need to start the school year ready to learn. It’s students at every stage of the educational journey from 4K to college choosing a backpack for themselves that represents them — and the year ahead.

This year’s Back to School Program distributed school supplies and backpacks to 621 students, thanks to financial support and donations from individuals, churches and businesses. On pickup day, parents and students surveyed the dizzying array of backpack options, organized by grade. 

Some parents who stopped in solo without their kids did their best to imagine what choice they would make. 

“He’s got an obsession with Paw Patrol,” said one mother as she spotted a backpack featuring a cartoon dog among the options for her son starting 4K. Another mom of a young student faced a classic dilemma: “I wonder if I should go with unicorns or princesses?”

Students who were there in person to choose their backpack were sometimes overwhelmed by the choices. Others were overjoyed, including two best friends who found matching backpacks. 

Another future 4K student was tentative as she approached the backpacks for her age group. But that all changed when she spotted a Hello Kitty backpack. A shy smile became a wide grin that took over her face when a WayForward volunteer said, “It’s yours! Enjoy it!”