Freedom Center joins national school supply donation drive

July 8, 2026

Freedom Center joins national school supply donation drive

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is joining local, regional and national efforts to ensure students have what they need for school this fall with a school supply donation drive running now through August 10.

An initiative out of Volunteers of America, Operation Backpack® provides students experiencing homelessness and poverty with resources to support their education. As Cincinnati’s newest Operation Backpack® drop-off location, the Freedom Center encourages community members to donate new backpacks, notebooks, folders, pencils, pens, crayons, markers, glue sticks and other classroom essentials to help students begin the school year prepared and confident.

Research indicates that, each year, teachers spend on average $673 buying supplies for their classrooms, and more than 90% of public school teachers pay for school supplies without being reimbursed. Contributions through initiatives like Operation Backpack® help offset costs for individual families and educators alike.

Wish list items include a new backpack, spiral notebooks or loose leaf notebook paper, binders, erasers, rulers, folders, scissors, crayons, pencils, highlighters and pens as well as personal products such as deodorant, bar soap, toothpaste and toothbrush or shampoo and conditioner.

How You Can Support Operation Backpack 

• Purchase school supplies for elementary and middle/high school students, either in-store or online. 

• Deliver the backpack with school supplies to a drop-off location near you, which now includes the Freedom Center. 

• Donations can be dropped off now through August 10, during museum operating hours, Wednesday-Sunday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Simply bring supplies to the Freedom Center’s guest services desk at 50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202.

About Operation Backpack

Operation Backpack® is an initiative of Volunteers of America (VOA) intended to close the gap for children experiencing homelessness and poverty. Collected donations provide backpacks, school supplies and funding for academic enrichment to unhoused and at-risk kids. In 2025, Volunteers of America distributed 59,000 backpacks through Operation Backpack®.

Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana is an affiliate of Volunteers of America. VOA provides services that are designed locally to address specific community needs with the following areas of focus: providing mental health and recovery services, supporting veterans, promoting self-sufficiency for those experiencing homelessness, supporting citizens reentering their communities after a period of incarceration, and maintaining a robust social enterprise division. 

Posted in Partnerships & Promotions.