Back-to-School Backpack Assembly is a Success!

On July 24, the CROSS Outreach new executive director Gary Hanson and many, many volunteers un-packed and sorted the back-to-school supplies. Then, on July 25, these dedicated volunteers prepared 1,200 backpacks with age appropriate school supplies for grades:

• Pre-Kindergarten–2nd
• 3rd–5th
• 6th–8th
• 9th–12th

The backpacks are now ready to be distributed and will be available starting August 1, 2023 at each of the 15 DMARC food pantries in the Des Moines metro area. To determine which one is closest to you, use the DMARC website’s handy navigation tool to find both locations and hours of each of the food pantries.

To qualify for a backpack, a family must have a child in the household within the PreK–12th grades. Please bring your ID for an adult in the household. It is expected the backpacks will be given out within 2 weeks, so do not delay in picking up one for your child(ren).

A big “THANK YOU” goes out to everyone who supported this annual fundraiser. Without your help this backpack give-away would not be possible.

Attached are a few photos of the work and passion these volunteers have brought to making this a successful annual give-away for our community.