The Backpack Program
Help kids in your community start the school year with the tools they need for success!
Providing vital school supplies to level the educational playing field.
The Start2Finish Backpack Program provides vital school supplies to thousands of kids who begin the school year without the proper essentials. Each September, Start2Finish, in cooperation with school boards and local administrators, identifies children with the greatest needs in low-income communities across the nation. The program equips students with the tools needed to help “even the playing field” and prepare them for a successful school year and beyond. The S2F Backpack Program distributes backpacks to the most at-risk children in schools nationwide.
Special Note
Start2Finish works directly with schools and school boards to donate backpacks to students in need within their schools. We do NOT give backpacks directly to individuals, families or organizations. Please note, we donate backpacks only in Canada. For parents/guardians, please speak with your child's school about any possible backpack donation.
For companies and community groups making a donation, please contact our Backpack Program Coordinator, Michelle Wray by filling out the sign-up form. She will confirm logistics and forward you our mandatory backpack supply list before you start your Backpack campaign!
Get Involved!
For companies and community groups making a donation of backpacks and supplies and/or funding, please contact our Backpack Program Coordinator, Michelle Wray by filling out the sign-up form before starting your Backpack campaign!
Without the generous support and partnership of businesses and community organizations, Start2Finish would be greatly limited in its ability to impact our communities and the children we serve. From 5 backpacks to 500, any donation is valued and appreciated. Monetary contributions of $20 or more are tax receiptable.
2026 DEADLINE TO CONFIRM YOUR PARTICIPATION: August 14th*
* Once participation is confirmed, our Backpack Program Coordinator will work with you to arrange a drop-off date for your backpack/supply donation.
Your organization can get involved in the Start2Finish Backpack Program in one of two ways – by making a financial donation to the program, or by collecting supplies and filling backpacks through our Back to School Supply Drive.
The Back to School Supply Drive is a fun way to involve your whole organization, and allows everyone a “hands on” opportunity to actively participate. Using the Backpack Contents List provided by Start2Finish to ensure all backpacks give children the vital tools they need, your organization and/or employees can collect brand-new school supplies to fill as many backpacks as you choose, either individually or corporately.
FAQs
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YES – It is important that we are providing all of the same items on the list to ensure each child has the tools to succeed equally. We may also need to combine your donated backpacks with others going to the same location and we want to know they will all provide the same excitement.
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ABSOLUTELY – There are so many varieties of items to choose from so yes you can use different pack sizes for items. We just ask that they are not excessive or take up too much space in the backpack so all items required can be included. Example: 10 pack of pens vs. a 6 pack of pens or 200 sheet refill paper vs. 150 sheet refill paper
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ONLY LIST ITEMS PLEASE – Although we love the generosity, we created our backpack lists based on the needs specified by parents and educational facilities to provide a consistent selection of supplies. We also may need to combine donations to equal the needs at each location, and it is so important that your backpacks match everyone else’s. Feel free to box those extra items up and label them accordingly as we can often utilize them in our programs across Canada as prizes or incentives throughout the program.
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NO - We ask that you please stick to the specified list of items and quantities provided to ensure all students receive the same great experience as their classmates. Also, those extra items make consistent packaging and shipping much more challenging. If you end up with extra items we ask that you please box them up separately to be donated and label them accordingly as we can always use them towards other initiatives.
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NO – It is very important that food or drink items are NEVER added to backpacks as children may have allergies to certain products, and our distribution is not always immediate, therefore items could expire before they are received. Rest assured that our programs all provide a healthy snack for the children each week to give them the energy and nutrition they need to learn and participate.
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It is so helpful to us to have a consistent packaging process to enable our volunteers to receive and re-distribute your generous backpack donations quickly and efficiently. To complete this we need to ensure we know exactly what is being donated with clear detailed labelling and secure packaging.
Please ensure the following is completed to allow us to complete this efficiently:
BOXES- Source solid corrugated boxes that will hold approximately 4 to 6 backpacks and are ideally all the same size. An example would be item #694019 from Staples which measures 20”L x 14”W x 12”H. Anything larger becomes too heavy to lift for both yourself and our volunteers. Please seal each box with tape so they don’t break open during transportation.
LABELS - Please ensure each box is labelled with the following 2 things:
1. The number of backpacks enclosed in the box
2. The grade level they were packed for (either Grades 1-3 OR Grades 4-8). PLEASE DO NOT MIX DIFFERENT GRADE LEVELS IN THE SAME BOX.
Thank you to our 2025 Backpack Donors!
Amgen
Square One Shopping Centre
Colliers
Maersk
Acosta
Crestpoint Real Estate Investments
Ocean Network Express (ONE)
TYLin International Canada Inc.
CIBC
PostMedia Place (365 Bloor)
Shoppers Drug Mart
Meadowvale Toyota
KJ Harrison
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