More than 15,300 students in Tennessee’s economically distressed counties received free backpacks this year through First Lady Maria Lee’s Tennessee Serves initiative.
The program has provided new backpacks to students in distressed counties for six consecutive years, distributing more than 47,000 backpacks since 2021.
Students in Bledsoe, Clay, Cocke, Grundy, Hancock, Hardeman, Haywood, Lake, Perry, Pickett, and Scott counties received backpacks this year.
“As a former educator, I know the pressures families face at the beginning of the school year, and we are grateful to be able to alleviate a small burden on Tennesseans,” Lee said. “It is our hope that these backpacks help students enter the school year with confidence.”
The backpack giveaway is part of Tennessee Serves’ July challenge focused on helping families prepare for a successful school year. Each participating school district handled distribution through its Family Resource Center.
The initiative’s partnership with Family Resource Centers to provide backpacks to students in the state’s economically distressed counties concludes with this year’s distribution.
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