Free school supplies for families in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties
Families across the Philadelphia area may be able to get free school supplies, backpacks, and in some cases clothing, shoes, or haircuts before classes start. Options range from school district programs, including the mobile Ring the Bell PHL bus tour, to dozens of charities such as Congreso de Latinos Unidos, which focuses on the city's large Latino community but welcomes anyone in need. This page covers programs in the city of Philadelphia along with Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery County, the Pennsylvania counties at the heart of the region.
How families get help differs by county. Philadelphia leans on big public events, from the district's bus tour stops to backpack fairs at the Salvation Army Kroc Center, while suburban programs such as Tools for School in Bucks County or the Lord's Pantry in Downingtown ask households to register and show documents in advance. Many events in the region add free immunizations, sports physicals, food, or fresh produce, and most run first come, first served from late July into early September, so confirm each program's details before going. Families may also find help on the Philadelphia free clothing closets page, which can be a useful year-round option.
School District of Philadelphia – Ring the Bell PHL
District office: 440 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130. Call 215-400-4000 or visit https://www.philasd.org/ringthebell/.
Each summer the district sends a back to school bus tour, known as Ring the Bell PHL, to schools, malls, and other spots around the city in the weeks before the first day. Students at these stops may receive a free backpack with school supplies while they last.
The tour offers more than supplies. Families may also be able to get free immunizations and sports physicals for their kids, register children for school, and sign up for the parent portal, with information available in many languages. Stop locations change every year, so check the district's page as summer gets under way.
Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia – Ready for Learning
Giving Factory warehouse: 4700 Wissahickon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144. Details at https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/philadelphia/family-assistance/.
Cradles to Crayons collects new and gently used children's items from across Greater Philadelphia and packs them into individual orders for kids. Its summer initiative, Ready for Learning, focuses on backpacks filled with new school supplies, plus back to school clothing and shoes.
Families do not shop at the warehouse. Items go out through a network of partner agencies, and parents may enter a zip code on the page above to find a nearby partner that may be able to place an order for their children. Anyone already working with a caseworker may ask them to make the request. Since everything is donated, the exact items may vary.
Congreso de Latinos Unidos – Back to School Resource Fair
Main office: 216 W. Somerset Street, Philadelphia, PA 19133. Call 215-763-8870 or visit https://congreso.net/.
Congreso is a bilingual nonprofit that has served the largely Latino neighborhoods of eastern North Philadelphia for decades. Its annual back to school fair, typically held in August at the organization's education center, has offered free backpacks and school supplies along with free fresh produce, music, games, and tables from other community groups.
Many of Congreso's programs are open to families regardless of immigration status. As a one day event that depends on donations, the fair's format and offerings may differ from year to year.
100 Black Men of Philadelphia
Located at 2300 W. Master Street, Philadelphia, PA 19121. Call 267-424-2444 or visit https://100blackmenphilly.org/.
This mentoring organization works with boys in grades two through twelve across the city. Around the start of each school year, members have held a free giveaway where neighborhood children may pick up a book bag and school supplies. The event also introduces families to the group's year round mentoring, tutoring, and leadership programs. Timing and locations may change annually, so reach out in late summer.
Programs with locations across the region
The Salvation Army – corps centers in all five counties
Philadelphia Kroc Center: 4200 Wissahickon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19129, 215-717-1200, Kroc Center site. Norristown Corps: 533 Swede Street, Norristown, PA 19404, 610-275-4183. Or Find every location through the NHPB Salvation Army in Pennsylvania page.
The Salvation Army is not a single Philadelphia location. Corps community centers operate across the region, in the city as well as in Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware County, and each collects donated goods and may run its own seasonal giveaways. The division's own guidance states that seasonal assistance may include back to school backpacks and supplies, along with summer camp and holiday help.
The largest of these centers, the Kroc Center in North Philadelphia, has held an annual back to school backpack event, usually on a mid August afternoon, where children who attend may receive a free backpack with school supplies alongside games and family activities. Registration may be required, so check their page as the date nears.
In smaller towns without a corps building, volunteer Service Units carry out the same work, so calling the nearest listed location is worthwhile even for families outside a big town. What any one location may offer changes with local donations, and not every site runs a giveaway every year.
TCC and Wireless Zone – School Rocks Backpack Giveaway
Find participating stores at https://www.tccrocks.com/backpack-giveaway/.
Verizon retail stores operating under the TCC and Wireless Zone names hold a nationwide backpack giveaway on a single Sunday afternoon, usually in late July. Participating stores in Philadelphia and the suburban counties may hand out one free backpack with basic school supplies per child, while they last, and the child must be present.
Not every store takes part in every cycle, so use the store locator on the page above and call ahead to confirm. Families who also need a device for schoolwork may want to read about getting a free tablet on the NHPB guide.
Free school supplies in Bucks County
United Way of Bucks County – Tools for School
Office and HELP Center: 2901 Edgely Road, Levittown, PA 19057. Call 215-949-1660 or visit the Tools for School page at https://www.uwbucks.org/tools-for-school-get-help/.
Tools for School, which ran for years under the name Stuff the Bus, is the largest back to school effort in Bucks County and works with every school district in it. Parents register in advance for a new backpack filled with the supplies local districts ask for, and the program has expanded to offer items such as sneakers and hygiene kits when available.
To qualify, a child must live in Bucks County, be entering kindergarten through twelfth grade, and be in need. Picking up supplies requires a photo ID, proof of the child's grade, and one document showing need, such as an ACCESS or CHIP card, a free or reduced lunch form, or a short letter from a school counselor, nurse, social worker, or faith leader.
Requests are accepted only while donations allow, and registration may close during the summer, so apply as soon as the form opens. Outside of the back to school season, the HELP Center may provide essential goods to eligible households by appointment.
Free school supplies in Chester County
Lord's Pantry of Downingtown
Located at 141 E. Lancaster Avenue, Downingtown, PA 19335. Call 610-873-1149 or visit https://www.lordspantryofdowningtown.org/.
This volunteer run food pantry serves the Downingtown, Exton, Lionville, and Thorndale area. In July and August, its back to school program has distributed new backpacks and essential school supplies to every school-aged child in a registered pantry household. A separate program has offered gift cards so each registered child may buy a new pair of sneakers.
Registration generally requires living in the service area, meeting income limits, and showing proof of address and household income. What the pantry may offer in a given summer depends on community donations.
Phoenixville Community Education Foundation – Pack a Backpack
Call 610-933-5911, email [email protected], or visit https://www.pcefonline.com/
This foundation supports students in the Phoenixville Area School District in northern Chester County. Its Pack a Backpack program provides fully stocked, grade appropriate backpacks and school supplies to district students who need them.
There is no public event to attend. Parents contact the guidance counselor or front office at their child's school, and the school arranges the help. Availability in any given year may depend on what has been donated.
Free school supplies in Delaware County
CityTeam Chester – Backpack Carnival
Located at 634 Sproul Street, Chester, PA 19013. Call 610-872-6865 or visit https://www.cityteam.org/get-help/chester.
CityTeam has worked in the city of Chester and the surrounding Delaware Valley for decades, providing hot meals, groceries, diapers, and shelter. Its annual Backpack Carnival, held near the end of summer, is one of the biggest giveaways in the county, with registered children receiving backpacks filled with school supplies at a festival style event.
Corporate partners and the Philadelphia Union have supported the carnival, and in some years distributions have taken place at Subaru Park. Registration usually opens in the weeks before the event, and plans may shift each cycle, so call or watch their page.
Teachers' Teammates (for Delaware County educators)
Warehouse: 777 Henderson Boulevard, Building 11, Unit 3, Folcroft, PA 19032. Call 610-273-8222 or visit https://teachersteammates.org/.
This resource is for teachers rather than parents, but students benefit directly in the classroom. Teachers' Teammates operates a supply warehouse and online store for educators at qualifying Delaware County schools, meaning schools where a large share of students qualify for the National School Lunch Program. Members may order notebooks, pencils, markers, books, art materials, hygiene products, and more at no cost per item.
Educators join with a modest membership, which schools or community groups sometimes cover, and orders may be picked up or delivered to the school. Parents may want to mention this resource to their child's teacher, since inventory comes from donations and may vary.
Free school supplies in Montgomery County
Mitzvah Circle
Warehouse: 435 Doylestown Road, Lansdale, PA 19446. Call 267-649-7610 or visit https://mitzvahcircle.org/get-help/.
Mitzvah Circle packs individualized boxes for families facing poverty, homelessness, or serious illness, and school supplies are among the many types of essential items volunteers may include. Each box is put together for the specific children in the household, so a request may also cover clothing, shoes, hygiene products, diapers, and books.
Families may request help directly through the page above, or a social worker or caseworker may submit the request for them. The organization serves Montgomery County directly and works with caseworkers in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware County as well. As with any donation based charity, specific items may vary.
Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities
Outreach Center: 57 North Franklin Street, Pottstown, PA 19464. Call 610-970-5995 or visit http://www.pottstowncluster.org/
This coalition of congregations anchors help in the western end of the county. Its annual Pottstown Backpack Week has provided free backpacks filled with essential school supplies, handed out at several community locations around town in the weeks before classes begin.
The Cluster's outreach services have also included school clothing, which matters locally because Pottstown students follow a school dress code. Since the backpack effort runs on donations, the number of locations and what comes in each bag may change from one summer to the next.
How to find more giveaways each summer
Beyond the established programs above, a wave of one time events appears across the region every summer. Libraries, churches, recreation centers, community groups, and elected officials hold their own giveaways, and past events have included backpacks along with free haircuts, braiding, food, and health screenings. These pop up only weeks or days ahead, so no single list stays complete.
To find them, dial 211 or text a zip code to 898-211 to reach PA 211 Southeast, (website: https://southeast.pa211.org/) the region's free referral service, which operates around the clock in many languages. Asking at a child's school also works well, since counselors and front offices usually know which local groups may help with supplies.
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