BigBookBag Program to Give Away 300+ Backpacks in Raleigh

Youth across the Triangle have a chance to get a free backpack for the upcoming school year at a giveaway happening in Raleigh.

The Beta Lambda Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. will be hosting the Operation BigBookBag backpack event on Saturday, August 16 in the parking lot of the Raleigh SAFEchild at 2841 Kidd Road. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

“Operation BigBookBag is our first major service initiative of the new Sorority year—and there’s no better way to start than by equipping students with the tools they need to thrive this school year,” said BLS Member Taffeny McFadden, committee chair for BLS’s Operation BigBookBag. 

The event is hosted in partnership with the Beta Lambda Sigma Charitable Foundation, the Beta Lambda Sigma Philo Affiliate, SAFEchild,  and the University of Phoenix’s Raleigh Alumni Chapter. The backpacks will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, event organizers said in a press release.

“Operation BigBookBag is an opportunity for us to support our community in a meaningful way that will have far-reaching impacts,” said Celeste Brown, president of the Beta Lambda Sigma Chapter. “Every child deserves the supplies they need to start their school year.”

The program was created nearly 30 years ago and was designed to address the needs and challenges that young students face. Operation BigBookBag has also expanded in recent years to focus on exposing students to STEM curriculum and careers, along with a focus on mentorship and tutoring.