There is still time to donate to the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Give BACKpacks campaign. The district is working to raise funds to purchase backpacks filled with school supplies for students in need, which will be distributed at the start of the 2016-2017 school year.

To date, the district has raised approximately $150,000 and will provide more than 17,600 backpacks to students at 76 schools. But there is an even greater need.

More than 54,000 MCPS students receive free and reduced-price meals—an indicator of poverty—and many MCPS families struggle to afford basic necessities like school supplies. The Give BACKpacks campaign was created in 2013 in response to this growing need.

A $10 donation will provide a student with a new backpack, filled with school supplies. Donors are welcome to give any amount, but also have the option to give at the following levels:

$300 – Provides backpacks for a class
$1,500 – Provides backpacks for a grade level
$6,500 – Provides backpacks for an entire school
$25,000 and up – Provides backpacks for a cluster (elementary and middle schools that feed into particular high schools and consortium schools)

MCPS has already received generous donations from hundreds of parents, staff and community members, as well as businesses, organizations and foundations. Among the donations:

• Educational Systems Federal Credit Union– $25,000
• Kits for Kidz – $25,000
• CNSI – $6,500
• Cliff and Deborah White Family Fund – $6,500
• Community Foundation for the National Capital Region – $6,500

Last year, MCPS raised more than $130,000 and more than 19,000 students received backpacks filled with school supplies.

For more information and to donate, visit www.mcpsgivebackpacks.org or call 301-279-3100.