How to Make School Supply Backpacks

School Supplies

School Supplies are needed all the time and there always is an emphasis on school supplies at the beginning of the year but why not keep this idea in your back pocket for each quarter or at least at January for when the supplies that were donated have run out and everyone needs a restock. Learn some great tips below on how to create 30 school supply kits for your community.

Supplies for 30 Kits

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• 30 backpacks (full-size or drawstring) (these are great Drawstrings)

• 180 pencils (6 per kit) https://amzn.to/4fzpKys

• 30 boxes crayons (24-ct)

• 60 wide-ruled spiral notebooks (2 per kit)

• 60 glue sticks (2 per kit)

• 30 blunt-tip scissors

• 60 two-pocket folders (2 per kit)

• 30 pencil sharpeners

• 60 pink erasers (2 per kit)
  Optional upgrades (30 each): pencil pouches, rulers, index card packs, small hand sanitizer, tissues.

Step-by-Step Assembly

1. Sort by grade band (K–2 vs. 3–5) if your school partner prefers.

2. Pre-count smalls (bundles of 6 pencils, 2 erasers, 2 glue sticks).

3. Line stations: backpack → pencils → crayons → notebooks → folders → glue → scissors → sharpener → erasers.

4. Slip a note with a prayer/encouragement.

5. Quality check for counts and sturdy zippers.

6. Label “Elementary” (or grade) with painter’s tape on the strap.

7. Deliver in banker boxes (5–6 packs each) to the school liaison.

Bonus Ideas

• Include a teacher note: “If a student lacks X, please take from this bag.”

• Add a snack pack (granola bar + applesauce pouch) for the first week.

• For teens, swap crayons for colored pencils; add a basic calculator.

Best Places to Donate/Partner

• School counselors/social workers, Title I schools, after-school programs

• Boys & Girls Clubs, foster care agencies, community centers

Best Time of Year

• July–September (back-to-school).

• Mid-year refill: January for students who ran out or transferred midyear.