Eight sponsors and twenty-six community partners have come together to put a filled backpack in the hands of 1,300 Peekskill scholars at the 11th Annual Back to School Supply Giveaway, Thursday, August 20 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at The Summit at MOBC, 1432 Park Street, Peekskill.
Tuesday Paige McDonald, a Peekskill community leader with more than thirty years in youth development, has been the architect of the giveaway since 2015, chairing and organizing every one of the eleven.
Mount Olivet Baptist Church was the first sponsor of the giveaway and has been one of its sponsors every year since its inception in 2015. Jump For Joy Day Care is the only community partner to have taken part in all eleven giveaways. Many others have returned season after season, among them longtime sponsors Mount Lebanon Baptist Church and Peekskill City Schools. Over the years this day has continued to move forward because of the generosity and support of these sponsors and community partners.
Seven organizations will host family resource tables at the event: Peekskill City Schools, which hosts two, Mount Olivet Baptist Church, United Way of Westchester and Putnam, Volunteer New York!, NAACP Peekskill Branch 2170-B, Busy Bees Family Daycare and College Client.
Families who come for a backpack will be able to leave with more. United Way of Westchester and Putnam will have resources to give to families at its table, Volunteer New York! will have resources on volunteering opportunities, and College Client will be on hand with information on college readiness.
Volunteers carry the two days of the event, packing supplies on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 and running distribution on Thursday, August 20, 2026. Volunteer New York! has helped recruit volunteers for both days through its network. Every volunteer is assigned a role and a shift in advance, so volunteers must register.
Support arrives in different forms: pledged backpacks, funding, volunteers and family resource tables. What those commitments do not cover, The Blue Resource Table covers itself. This year the organization purchased school supplies in bulk so that every scholar receives the same supplies for their grade. Thirteen hundred is what it is prepared for right now. It is not a ceiling. More funding means more scholars served.
“Thirty-four. That is how many sponsors and partners it takes, and every single one of them said yes,” said McDonald, Founder and Executive Director of The Blue Resource Table, Inc. “This does not happen without them. On August 20, 2026, 1,300 scholars are going to walk out of that room with backpacks on their shoulders and the supplies they need to start the year ready.”
An Eleven-Year Peekskill Tradition
Tuesday Paige McDonald has been the architect of the Back to School Supply Giveaway since 2015, when Mount Olivet Baptist Church signed on as its first sponsor — and the church has been one of its sponsors every year since. The giveaway has run every August, growing each year under McDonald’s direction. This year is the first held under The Blue Resource Table, Inc., the nonprofit McDonald founded, recognized by the Internal Revenue Service in January 2026.
How To Take Part
Register a scholar. Families are asked to register by Friday, August 14 at http://bit.ly/43tP7g0. The form is available in English and Spanish. Families who do not register are still welcome on August 20, 2026; registering simply shortens the line.
Donate. The campaign runs on Crowdfunder through August 20. Twenty-five dollars fills one backpack: http://bit.ly/4veQACZ
Volunteer. Set-up and packing on Wednesday, August 19 and distribution on Thursday, August 20, 2026, both at The Summit at MOBC. Advance registration is required. Register at http://bit.ly/3S7US0P
Partner or sponsor. http://bit.ly/4uZDuJr
