Volunteers fill thousands of backpacks for students in need at Cradles to Crayons’ Backpack-A-Thon

PHILADELPHIA (WPHL) — Cradles to Crayons hosted its annual Backpack-A-Thon at Lincoln Financial Field, as the new school year nears.

On Thursday, hundreds of corporate volunteers filled 34,500 backpacks with new school supplies. One of the volunteers was Joyce Abbott, the inspiration behind “Abbott Elementary.”

The backpacks will be distributed to students who are living in low-income and homeless situations across the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region and Camden, New Jersey.

The effort is part of Cradles to Crayons’ Ready for Learning initiative, which works to bridge the financial barrier for greater Philadelphia families.