As students prepared for their first days back on campus this year, the GSF Foundation mobilized volunteers across the U.S. to stuff backpacks with new school supplies and donate them to children who would otherwise go without these learning essentials. A total of 19 local committees participated in the GSF Foundation’s Back(pack) to School program with 12,256 backpacks donated to elementary students in the communities where Golden State Foods associates live and work.
“In contrast to last year’s drive-thru backpack distributions, many Foundation committees were able to handout backpacks in person, as kids return to the classroom,” Vanessa Hugon, GSF Foundation’s Program & Development Specialist. “Not only did our volunteers fund these donations through their contributions, but they took the time to stuff backpacks together and personally deliver them to local children. That level of care and dedication is what makes our GSF Foundation volunteers so special!”
Volunteers from the KanPak Kansas organized the largest donation of any GSFF committee this year with 2,300 backpacks given away to students. Enhancing its Back(pack) to School program, QCD Salt Lake City partnered with its customer, Chick-fil-A, to provide breakfast to kindergarteners and first graders at a local elementary school. Though their GSFF committee has not yet formed officially, QCD Washington, D.C. associates held a back-to-school supply drive in partnership with a nonprofit in their community.
Through the generosity of GSF Foundation teams supporting Back(pack) to School since 2002, nearly 145,000 donated backpacks have helped first grade students across the U.S. start the school year ready to learn. The gift of a new backpack filled with supplies promotes learning, encourages attendance, and boosts self-confidence.