United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County
Backpack Coalition has been serving our community for over 20 years and has been led by United Way since 2014. It is committed to providing backpacks and school supplies to students with financial constraints and helping ensure they succeed in school. Each year the coalition distributes thousands of backpacks with grade appropriate school supplies to students in grades K-12.
Thank you to our community for their past support of the Backpack Coalition. In 2022, 7,661 new backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed to students in Milwaukee Community Schools and schools in Waukesha and Washington counties.
Here are a few ways a donation makes difference:
As the 2023-24 school year approaches, we are proud to once again ensure thousands of local students start the year off right. With rising costs and more students to serve the need is greater than it has ever been. We hope you'll join us this year in supporting the Backpack Coalition.
When you donate your dollars to Backpack Coalition, we can purchase backpacks and school supplies at bulk rates. This means we can offer support to even more students.
Donate Now
Or to donate via check, mail to: United Way Pledge Processing, PO Box 88988, Milwaukee, WI 53288-8988
Payable to: United Way Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County NOTE: Please add to your check memo line, "Backpack Coalition Restricted Fund"
Hosting a supply drive is fun, plus we help make it easy by providing the tools you need to make it successful. All supply drives must end by July 14.
Get Started
Download our drive toolkit.
Bring volunteers together to pack pencil pouches full of school supplies to benefit local students.
The Backpack Coalition provides school supplies for students in:
For all other requests, please contact the free IMPACT 211 service (1.866.211.3380).
These organiziations supported Backpack Coalition with either a $500+ in-kind or financial donation.
Baird Batteries Plus Briohn Building Corp Charter Manufacturing Circa InfoSoft Group Clifton Larson Costco Elmbrook Schools Extension, Inc
Employers Mutual Casualty First Congregational Church of Hartland Fiserv HSA Bank HNI IBEW Local 494 AFL-CIO Johnson Controls Jones Logistics Kolaga Family
Landmark Credit Union Markel American Insurance Co. M3 Insurance ProHealth Care Quest CE Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren SKYGEN USA Solenis Two Men and a Truck
We Energies Weyco Group Winter Services Zimmerman Architectural Studios, Inc. Zurn Elkay
Numbers indicate how many students were served through Backpack Coalition annually.
Aurora Health Care, Child & Family Centers of Excellence, Food Pantry of Waukesha County, Germantown School District, Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, Milwaukee Area Labor Council AFL-CIO, Mukwonago Area School District, Mukwonago Food Pantry, Muskego Food Pantry, Oconomowoc Food Pantry, Pewaukee Food Pantry, School District of Waukesha, The Waukesha Salvation Army, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, Waukesha County Health and Human Services, Waukesha County UW-Extension
Questions? Contact Sydney Radandt at 414-837-3558 or email.