JCRC-NY Co-Sponsors Back-to-School Backpack and School Supply Giveaway Event with Harlem Elected Officials

HARLEM, NY (09/02/2025) (readMedia)-- On Thursday afternoon, P.S. 200, The James Mccune Smith School in Harlem, hosted a successful backpack and school supply giveaway event with co-sponsors JCRC-NY and local elected officials Assemblymember Jordan Wright, Assemblymember Al Taylor, and Council Member Yusef Salaam. Students received free, brand-new school supplies - essential items that are often out of reach for many families - just in time for the new school year. The event was a booming success, with hundreds of students receiving free backpacks filled with essentials like notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, markers, glue sticks, binders, and rulers.

VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT HERE.

The nonprofit Supplies for Success generously provided 400 backpacks for the co-sponsors and volunteers to distribute. JCRC-NY CEO Mark Treyger and staff members helped distribute the backpacks, engaging with the Pre-K-5th grade students and their families.

Alongside the backpack and school supply giveaway, the event offered families and students hands-on science experiments, music from a local DJ, and a variety of other fun, community-building activities.

"As a former educator, I know how transformative events like this can be for students and families. We helped ensure that hundreds of children in Harlem can start the school year ready to learn and thrive. Thank you to Assemblymembers Jordan Wright and Al Taylor, Councilmember Yusef Salaam, and Supplies for Success for helping us make this event possible, and to P.S. 200 for hosting such a vibrant and impactful gathering for the Harlem community," said JCRC-NY CEO Mark Treyger. "This event reflects the heart of JCRC-NY's mission to build bridges across diverse communities and create a more interconnected New York for all. We're proud to continue this work in Harlem alongside the elected officials who co-sponsored Thursday's event, and we look forward to our ongoing partnership."

"A new school year is fast approaching and our kids need every tool in the arsenal to make it a successful one. By putting school supplies in the hands of students, we not only help to level the playing field in a system where not all students and all classrooms have access to the same resources, but we help excite and inspire young people to make it their best year yet. As a former educator, I know that students having what they need to be prepared for each coming school day is essential to being an active and engaged student. Especially amidst an affordability crisis, no child should start their year off from behind because of today's financial realities. I'm proud of this collaborative moment in our community where by providing young people with essentials, we are doing our part in sending students on their way to success," said Assemblyman Jordan J.G. Wright.

"Thursday's event at PS 200 was a beautiful reminder of what happens when we all come together in support of our children. Thanks to the generosity of JCRC-NY, more than 400 students will begin the school year with the tools they need to succeed. But what we gave out was more than backpacks and supplies - we gave our young people confidence, encouragement, and the knowledge that their community believes in them. As a son of Harlem, I know firsthand how powerful it is when children are surrounded by a community that shows up for them. When we equip our young people with the resources they need, we are investing in their future and building a stronger, more hopeful New York for us all. As parents, caregivers, and teachers face more challenges, every bit of support is needed. That is why efforts like Thursday's giveaway are so vital - they ease burdens, lift spirits, and remind families that they are not alone," said Council Member Yusef Salaam.