Backpack Program
Show your support and help students start the 2025/26 school year with all the supplies they need to succeed. Thanks to your support, last year over 1,000 backpacks were donated in 2024.
What supplies are most needed?
Backpacks, lunch bags, pens, pencils, rulers, math sets, markers, crayons, scientific calculators, pencil cases – these supplies are always needed. If possible, gender neutral colours encouraged and labels indicating grade on dropped off supplies – this will make sorting and distribution easier.
Monetary donations are also needed to help fill the gaps and buy supplies that may not be donated.
It is estimated that for basic supplies (a backpack, lunch bag, binders, pens, pencils, and a calculator), the cost per student ranges from $200 to $300 for school supplies. With rising costs and inflation, the need for support is high again this year.
Click the links below to donate.
JK to Grade 4
Grade 5-6
Grade 7+
Where to donate supplies
- United Way office: 417 Bagot Street, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm until August 15, 2025
Monetary donations are also important and encouraged as United Way KFL&A works with community partners to purchase supplies at a lower cost, ensuring donations go even further.
About the Backpack Program
Organized by the United Way KFL&A, working closely with agencies and businesses, the program ensures that families with children have all they need for another successful school year. In 2024:
- 1,100+ children and youth in KFL&A started the school year with school supplies and backpacks
- 6,000+ school supplies given to agencies for kids. Binders, notebooks,pencils, pens, rulers, highlighters, crayons,calculators and more!
Once supplies are collected, volunteers will start packing backpacks mid-August for distribution through agencies and schools before the new school year begins.
“For kids who struggle in life, you want to do whatever little thing you can to help them. And it might be as easy as a backpack of school supplies. It might be as easy as a lunchbox. It allows students to associate a fresh start with the new school year.”
Agency Partners
- Addiction & Mental Health Services – KFL&A
- Elizabeth Fry Society
- Family & Children Services of Frontenac, Lennox, and Addington
- Food Sharing Project
- Home Base Housing – Lily’s Place Family Shelter, One Roof Youth Services, RISE@one4nine
- Pathways to Education
- KEYS Job Centre – Refugee Children and Youth Enhanced Integration Program
- Kingston Interval House – Emergency Shelter and Robin’s Hope Transitional Housing
- Kingston Immigration Partnership
- Kingston Youth Shelter – Shelter & Transitional Homes
- Lionhearts
- Maltby Centre
- Metis Nation of Ontario – Healthy Babies Program
- Partners In Mission Food Bank
- Rural Frontenac Community Services
- Salvation Army, Napanee
- Southern Frontenac Community Services
- Tipi Moza
- Youth Diversion Program
Individuals looking for supplies are asked to register with one of the agencies above or contact their school principal or board office (Note: this only applies for Limestone District School Board and Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic District School Board students).
Corporate Sponsors
