NASHUA, N.H.—Nashua's back-to-school season means one thing for the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter: a school gymnasium full of donated backpacks, three-ring binders and school supplies, ready to be sorted, packed and delivered to kids across the city., and teams of volunteers. With distribution set for next week, Carol Weeks, the organization's Director of Community Relations, says this year's need is the highest she's seen.
Backpacks for Back-to-School: A Program Three Decades in the Making
The book bag program was launched in 1995 by longtime staff member Eileen Brady, making this the 31st year the Soup Kitchen has outfitted local students for the start of the new school year. What began as a modest school-supply drive has grown into one of the organization's largest annual volunteer efforts, rivaled only by its Thanksgiving food distribution in terms of scale.
Gathering supplies, packing backpacks and distribution unfold in stages. Next Monday, the nonprofits and schools that have submitted requests pick up their bags and on Tuesday the general public pickup will be held at the Ledge Street Elementary school.
School supplies are included in each backpack. There is one selection of items for kindergarten through grade 5 and another for grades 6-12. The backpacks are good quality in a large variety of colors that are selected for their durability. The intent is to have the bag last the school year.
Multiple companies and group have provided volunteer teams that have been essential to getting the big project done on time.. Weeks typically schedules teams of 10 across three shifts per day, meaning at least 30 volunteers on a given day, over a two-and-a-half-week preparation window. One recent Friday, an unexpected group of about 15 volunteers new to helping NSKS arrived and, in Weeks' words, "made miracles happen," fully sorting and organizing a backlog of donations — including 250 newly arrived backpacks — in a single shift.
Why the Need Is Growing
Asked whether demand has increased, Weeks didn't hesitate: "This year, it's got to be incredibly higher because of the cost of everything. Groceries, your electric bill, gas," she said, noting that school supplies can start to feel like a luxury for stretched family budgets. The pressure is real enough that one area high school called in January asking for additional bags — only to be told none were left, underscoring why the Soup Kitchen urges the community to order and donate early and generously.
Weeks said the organization begins sourcing supplies as early as June, timing bulk backpack orders to back-to-school sales at national retailers ahead of the region's August start date. Businesses that host supply drives, she added, are "the engines behind the project that make it successful," and residents who prefer not to shop can simply donate funds for staff to purchase supplies on their behalf.
The Moment That Makes It Worth It
For all the hard work and complex logistics, Weeks says her favorite part of the program remains simple: watching kids' faces on distribution day. "Their eyes are so big," she said, recalling past years’ memorable moments as children select their own bag.
