Sometimes connection begins with something as simple as a backpack.

At the end of this month, a team of Greenhouse volunteers will set up tables on our front sidewalk, lined with brightly colored backpacks. Each one is filled with notebooks, pencils, folders, and crayons — everything a child needs to walk into school with confidence.

Thanks to your faithful support, last August local families gathered with their kids to pick out their favorite backpack from the mix… we counted more than 150 backpacks given to neighbors in need!

A Snapshot of Who You Helped

These are the very people you impacted at last year’s Backpack Drive:

A grandmother we've known for years through weekly Food Outreach came to pick up backpacks for the ten grandchildren she helps raise. Her visit was another reminder that serving a family isn't something you do once — it's something you do consistently over time.
A single mom from down the street, whom we've also known for years, stopped by with her three boys. Her two oldest sons attend Homework Club each week, where volunteers help with homework and identity formation as they’re shown that they are seen, valued, and deeply loved.
A dad, a resident in Greenhouse Recovery, came looking for backpacks for his two children. That simple act of provision became a point of connection for his family. Today, he and his children attend church together on Sundays, and our church has had the privilege of ministering not only to him, but to his kids as well.

So, why do we make it a point to give away backpacks at the beginning of each school year?

Our neighborhood is filled with families doing everything they can just to make ends meet.

As school begins, many parents face a choice between paying bills and buying the supplies their children need to succeed. No child should have to start the school year already feeling behind.

See, to most people, a backpack is just another item on a back-to-school shopping list, but in Chester, it can be the first point of communication, conversation, and an invitation.

And we’re not just here to give things away, we’re here to introduce people to Jesus.

Connections to Deeper Community

When we place a backpack in a child's hands, we are also extending an invitation to:

Food Outreach — a place where families are welcomed and supported.
Homework Club — a weekly gathering where students receive help with their school work and meet with volunteers who show them God’s love and faithfulness.
One Way Youth Group — a space where teenagers can build friendships, find purpose, and grow in their relationship with Jesus.
Church — an opportunity for families to worship together and hear the Word of God on Sunday.
Greenhouse Recovery — a program for men seeking freedom from addiction offering hope and lasting transformation.

Backpack Drive 2026 Goals

The goal is simple: to equip 150 students with brand-new backpacks filled with school supplies before school begins.

Each backpack costs just $30, but its impact reaches far beyond the classroom. Every backpack is an opportunity to begin a relationship that can last for years.

Here's how your gift can help:

$30 equips one student with a brand-new backpack and school supplies.
$60 equips two students.
$100 equips three students.
$250 provides supplies for Homework Club, including paper, pencils, workbooks, posters, and snacks.
$500 helps furnish Homework Club with larger needs including furniture like tables and chairs, and other essential equipment that create a welcoming space for students to learn and grow.

Whether you sponsor one backpack or dozens, you are helping ensure that no child in Chester walks into school without the tools they need — or without knowing this community cares about them.

VIEW THE BACKPACK DRIVE

Help Make Back-to-School a Blessing

As school beings, here are a few ways you can pray for our neighborhood:

Students returning to school — Pray for protection, confidence, and hearts that are open to God as they begin a new school year.
Teachers and school staff — Pray for wisdom, patience, and strength as they invest in and encourage the next generation.
Homework Club volunteers — Pray for our faithful volunteers who show up week after week to encourage, teach, and love every child who walks through our door.
The Backpack Drive outreach — Pray that each backpack handed out would open the door to lasting relationships and opportunities to share the love of Jesus.

The backpack might be the very thing that brings a child through our doors. But it’s the relationship that opens the door to so much more — food outreach, Homework Club, One Way Youth, church on Sunday — and most importantly, it’s an opportunity to show them the love of Jesus.

Thank you for always showing up to support this effort! We couldn’t do this without you.

Please consider joining us as we hand out backpacks on Tuesday, August 25 2026 from 10 - 11am.