For the first three days of August, over 160 volunteers at Harrah’s Cherokee Center’s warehouse sorted and packed over 2,300 backpacks. By the end of the three days, dozens of rows of elementary and middle school backpacks were waiting to be picked up by one of our School Supply Drive distributors.
Each backpack is filled with the school supplies that are necessary for a successful first day back to school. Ensuring our students have the materials they need in the classroom and our families feel supported entering the school year is only one essential step that advances our Bold Community Goal of having ALL high school students graduate prepared and fully ready to pursue their goals and dreams by 2035.
United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County's annual School Supply Drive, sponsored by our incredible community partners at Bank of America, is one of our most recognized engagement experiences and provides our community with an opportunity to support students and families as they head back to school.
We know that none of our work happens alone and because of the generous support from donors, volunteers, and community partners that work directly with youth. Since the beginning of the School Supply Drive, we have been able to save local families over 1 million dollars on school supplies. We would like to share our deepest gratitude to everyone who helped contribute this year.
A special thanks to Harrah’s Cherokee Center-Asheville for hosting our Pack and Sort event!