200 Youth Receive Free Backpacks at Back-to-School Drive Thru

This Wednesday, 200 Littles and their siblings got backpacks and school supplies to start the year off right at our 2020 Back to School Celebration Drive Thru. The event looked very different than in years past, but the contactless drive-thru kept the opportunity to connect with our community and help our Littles feel more confident heading into fall.

Generous donors helped provide backpacks and fill them with supplies, including our friends at Stryker, Nulty Insurance, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and Ritter’s Frozen Custard. Thank you!

While our regular Back to School Celebration activities were not possible this year due to current COVID-19 restrictions, we all enjoyed the opportunity to connect with our Bigs, and our Littles and their families, as it is a unique time of year for the agency, pandemic or not.

Littles and Bigs are usually meeting out in the community, or more recently on Zoom, rather than onsite at Big Brothers Big Sisters, so this is one of the few times of year matches and families come together with our staff. It is a favorite event for the entire BBBS team.

Upon entering our parking lot, matches and their families drove through a colorful balloon arch and were welcomed by local celebrities and princesses from afar. Slappy from the Kalamazoo Wings, Buzz from Kalamazoo College, and princesses from Olivia Grace & Company greeted our Littles to wish them luck as they prepare for the school year. KD Sales’ Balloon Art by Tecia’s balloon animals and décor were a popular drive-thru stop for the kids attending. Our good friends at Rathco Safety Supply, Inc. provided the traffic cones that kept the drive-thru organized.

Check out our Facebook page over the next few days for more pictures from the event.

Thank you to the many partners who came together to make sure our Littles and their families have a great start to their school year!