2024 Sponsorships for Backpacks & Basics is NOW OPEN!

Secure your spot at our most popular event! Email Beth Cupp, Director of Philanthropy, or call 704-377-1740 ext. 4060

While academic hurdles are the same for all students, the educational playing field is far from level. 54% of children in our community live below the poverty line and can’t afford the basic school supplies they need to learn.

That’s right, 1 in every 2 local students comes to school empty-handed.

A backpack full of supplies helps students build self-confidence and succeed in the classroom. It also prevents additional financial burdens from falling on our community’s teachers.

On August 3, Classroom Central’s Backpacks & Basics helped to provide a backpack full of school supplies to every student in selected high-need schools before school starts in the Fall. This year, Classroom Central + 700 volunteers packed 35,000 backpacks to give to distribute to students in the area’s highest-needs elementary schools – those where 100% of the students are receiving free lunches, are homeless, and/or in foster care.

Thank you to all of our generous 2023 sponsors!