Kids to Love volunteers pack thousands of backpacks for annual foster care drive

MADISON, Alabama (WHNT) – Foster children across Alabama will receive between four and six thousand backpacks full of school supplies this summer.

Madison-based nonprofit Kids to Love has been running the More Than a Backpack campaign for over 15 years to help students from kindergarten through college succeed this school year.

As foster children move from home to home, many have no way to transport their clothing or personal belongings. Operations Manager Tasha Jones explained that the children often have to use garbage bags to store their belongings.

“Sometimes they come into care with absolutely nothing, and that is the case in most cases,” Jones said.

Each backpack contains basic supplies such as pencils, pens and notebooks as well as age-appropriate tools such as calculators and rulers.

Volunteer Alex Phillips said she decided to help this year to make sure foster children have everything they need, just like her own children.

“I have two kids at home and I know they have all the school supplies they need to go back to school, so I think it’s great to be able to do that for others as well,” Phillips said.

The effort is made possible through community partnerships and local donations. Although demand is highest at the beginning of the school year, Kids to Love says they need the supplies year-round.

“If foster parents call us and say they have a 12-year-old child and they don’t have school supplies, we go and get the boxes and get what they need,” Jones said. “So it’s not just a service right before school starts, it’s things we need all year long.”

Once the backpacks are organized, they will be distributed in Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi. If you would like to donate, collection boxes are available at every CB&S Bank branch. The deadline is July 29.

For more information about donation and volunteer opportunities at Kids to Love, click here.