Behind every backpack is a community of neighbors choosing to make a difference.
Each year, Northern Virginia Family Service's (NVFS) Back2School and Beyond campaign brings together corporate partners, civic organizations, community groups, donors, and individual volunteers with one shared goal: helping local students begin the school year feeling confident, prepared, and ready to learn. Together, these neighbors in action help provide backpacks and essential school supplies to more than 1,500 students across Northern Virginia, easing the financial burden for families and giving children the tools they need to succeed from day one.
But this campaign isn't built by one person or one organization. It's built by hundreds of people giving their time, energy, and generosity.
A Community That Shows Up
Long before backpacks are packed, volunteer groups begin arriving with donations collected through workplace giving campaigns, community supply drives, and team fundraising efforts. Conference rooms fill with backpacks. Boxes overflow with notebooks, crayons, binders, pencils, and folders. Every donation represents dozens of individuals who decided to make a difference for a child they have never met.
For many volunteer groups, participating has become an annual tradition, a chance to work together beyond the office while creating a tangible impact for local families.
Jill St. Germain, People Engagement Specialist at 10Pearls, said her team chose to volunteer with the Back2School drive "to give back to our local community and help ensure every student starts the school year on equal footing."
From Donations to Opportunity
As donations arrive, another wave of volunteers gets to work.
Assembly lines quickly take shape as teams unpack supplies, organize materials, and thoughtfully fill each backpack. What may seem like a simple volunteer shift becomes something much bigger: every backpack packed represents a student who will walk into school with the supplies they need and the confidence that comes with being prepared.
The feeling in the room is hopeful, through conversation, teamwork, and a shared sense of purpose. Coworkers become teammates, community members become neighbors, and every filled backpack becomes a reminder of what is possible when people come together.
More Than School Supplies
A backpack filled with school supplies is so much more than just physical items needed for the school year.
It tells a child they are supported.
It tells a family they are not facing the challenges of a new school year alone.
And it demonstrates the power of a community that believes every student deserves an opportunity to begin the school year ready to learn.
That impact starts long before distribution day. It begins with every company that hosts a supply drive, every employee who donates a notebook or backpack, every volunteer who unloads boxes or packs supplies, and every neighbor who chooses to invest in the success of local children.
As St. Germain put it, "Every student deserves to start the school year with the confidence that they are going to accomplish all their goals."
This is what Neighbors in Action look like.
Discover how the Back2School and Beyond campaign is helping students start the school year ready to learn.
Looking for more ways to get involved? Learn how you can volunteer, give, or partner with NVFS.
