Volunteers of America-Greater New York’s signature community service campaign.
Providing backpacks and school supplies to children experiencing homelessness through Operation Backpack® goes a long way toward setting them up for success in the classroom and beyond.
In 2024, we equipped 19,000 children living in New York City shelters, and we are committed to helping as many students as possible again this year.
At a time when 1 in 8 NYC public school students is homeless, VOA-GNY’s Operation Backpack® is a crucial tool in the fight to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Homelessness can significantly disrupt a child’s education, which can have a devastating impact on their future. Having a full set of supplies can lead to increased rates of homework completion, class participation and, ultimately, graduation.
Your support is critical as the cost of school supplies increases. Backpacks and school supplies now cost an average of $120 per child, which is an expense that most families living in shelter cannot afford.
In 2024, hundreds of partners and volunteers stepped up to make this possible. Watch our video recapping the 22nd year of Operation Backpack® below.
How to Get Involved
SPONSOR
Become an official sponsor and enjoy benefits such as the opportunity to volunteer in-person filling backpacks at our warehouse in August. Email Kim Pompey for more details and to participate.
COLLECT
Hold a backpack drive and/or packing event in your office, school or community to donate new, backpacks filled with school supplies. Email operationbackpack@voa-gny.org to learn more.
FUNDRAISE
Create your own fundraising team and raise money among your colleagues, family and/or friends.
DONATE
Make a gift to VOA-GNY on our fundraising page to support this important work. To send a check, make it out to Volunteers of America-Greater New York. Checks can be sent to:
Volunteers of America-Greater New York
135 West 50th Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10020
For other ways to get involved, contact us.
Phone: (212) 496-4389 • operationbackpacknyc@voa-gny.org
About the Campaign
As an anti-poverty organization, we know that helping children succeed in school is critical to breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. We also know that having a full complement of school supplies plays a vital role in homework completion, class participation, and, ultimately, graduation.
For more than 20 years, VOA-GNY has given tens of thousands of children experiencing homelessness a sense of normalcy during the back-to-school season through Operation Backpack®. The children living in New York City homeless shelters rely on us each school year, and we rely on you—our corporate and community partners—to make this initiative possible through sponsorships, in-kind donations, and fundraising.
Learn More
News About Operation Backpack®
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PIX 11 and News12 Bronx Cover Operation Backpack® Back-to-School Giveaways
PIX 11 and News12 Bronx reported on VOA-GNY’s 2023 Operation Backpack® giveaway for students living at Legacy Family Residence, one of our family shelters in Brooklyn.
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VOA-Greater New York and Operation Backpack® Featured on CBS Evening News
Meg Oliver, reporter for CBS, speaks to VOA-GNY client Krystal and her son Kyle, who has received several backpacks through Operation Backpack®. The segment features VOA-GNY board member Paige Davis and program director Anton Nimblett.
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School Supplies are Vital to a Student’s Academic Readiness: Op-Ed by VOA-GNY Assistant Vice President Leslie Armstrong
In an op-ed published by amNY, Leslie Armstrong, VOA-GNY’s Assistant Vice President of NYC Emergency Housing and Shelter Services, shares the importance of our Operation Backpack® campaign in helping students experiencing homelessness start the school year on an even playing field with their peers.