Operation Backpack Homepage

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Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2018 Operation Backpack® campaign! Your generosity has enabled us to help children living in shelters across Northern California & Northern Nevada feel more like their housed peers and less like a child in need on their first day of school.

Thanks to our Official Sponsors and other community partners, Operation Backpack® provided 9,000+ homeless children with a new backpack full of every grade-specific school supply they needed in time for the first day of school. This way, they started the year looking and feeling more like their housed classmates and less like a child in need

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Operation Backpack® News

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    Operation Backpack on Good Day Sacramento

    Cody from Good Day Sacramento is at Kid's Care Dental & Orthodontics of Roseville for Operation Backpack and asking for backpacks and school supplies to support local kids in need.

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    Operation Backpack and Good Day Sacramento at Quick Quack Car Wash

    Good Day Sacramento's Dina Kupfer shows the amazing deal that Quick Quack Car Wash is having in partnership with Operation Backpack!

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    Operation Backpack Day and Good Day Sacramento

    Cody Stark from Good Day Sacramento is recapping all the success for the Operation Backpack drive helping at risk youth with first day of school supplies!

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Having a Backpack Helps Kids in Need Succeed!

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Having a Backpack Helps Kids in Need Succeed!


Our Drop-Off Locations:

Thanks to Sutter Health, Kids Care Dental & Orthodontics, and Quick Quack Car Wash for being our 2018 drop off locations!

2019 Drop Off Locations will be announced next year.

For individual drives please contact your Regional representative:

  • Bay Area: Cynthia Shane Smith, CSmith@voa-ncnn.org or (510) 325-1107
  • Greater Sacramento: Elyse Duenas, EDuenas@voa-ncnn.org or (916) 265-3978
  • Reno-Sparks, NV: Linda Grace, LGrace@voa-ncnn.org or (775) 322-7143

What is Operation Backpack?

Each year, thousands of homeless and at-risk children in our local communities return to school without the basic supplies they need.

With your help, Operation Backpack® is able to provide thousands of backpacks, grade specific school supplies, and a variety of support services to homeless, at-risk and foster children from Pre-school to High School levels throughout the Bay Area, Greater Sacramento Area, and Reno regions. Together, we are helping children learn and thrive in school, stay in school, and build a bright future.

Participate in Volunteers of America's Operation Backpack® and help children in need be prepared and excited for their first day of school!

Why do this?

Children who live in poverty or are homeless face many challenges and tremendous stigmatization – as a result, less than 25% graduate from high school. Preparing these children for school with a new backpack filled with school supplies boosts their self-esteem and gives them the tools and confidence needed to learn and thrive in school.

Where do the backpacks go?

The backpacks and school supplies we collect are used in a number of ways. All of the families and children in our programs are provided a backpack and school supplies. We also work with partner agencies and school districts to ensure as many children as possible get the tools they need to start the school year off on the right foot.